ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary...

12
T ension flared up at the already volatile Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh when the Chinese troops tried to intrude into India at the Pangong Tso (lake) on the intervening night of August 29-30. The alert Indian troops foiled the aggres- sion. Not willing to let things go out of hand, the two sides held Brigadier-level meeting on Monday and decided to main- tain peace and abide by pacts to de-escalate. Denying that its troops crossed the LAC, China claimed that India violated its territorial integrity. China also demanded that India immediately withdraw its troops to maintain peace. Given the situation at the LAC in the region where stand-off is on for the last more than three months and the latest “provoca- tive” step on the southern side of the Pangong Tso by the Chinese, the Indian Army has rushed more troops to the region, sources said. Also, movement for gener- al traffic was restricted on the nearly 400-km long Srinagar-Leh highway to enable the military convoys to move fast. The Chinese have also deployed additional troops there leading to surcharged atmosphere in the region. Both sides have enhanced vigil all along the 4,000 km long LAC from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. Moreover, the Indian armed forces are now on alert mode to meet any challenge, sources said. A three-month face-off is already on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso between “Finger 4” and “Finger 8” sector. Despite agreeing to disengage in the several rounds of military- level talks, the Chinese have refused to withdraw their troops from there. They also have of late erected more tents and built bunkers indicating their intent. Giving details of the latest move on August 29-30 (Saturday last), sources said here on Monday the Chinese troops carried out “provocative” military move- ments to change the status quo” near Pangong Tso. Timely intel- ligence reports enabled the Indian troops to block the Chinese patrol of more than 300 soldiers, they said. P ranab Mukherjee was never a domineering presence in Bengal politics; in fact, he was hardly a political presence in his home State at all. But his endearing persona and mag- nificent erudition made him, notwithstanding his strong rural Bengali accent, a highly respected bhadralok, a semi-lit pipe hanging loose from his lips being a cartoonists’ delight till he kicked the habit nearly 30 years back. He became a trusted lieu- tenant of Indira Gandhi with- in a few years but fell out later after she was advised by former colleagues to get rid of the diminutive but highly intelli- gent and ambitious politician. However, realising his 360 degree skills, she reinducted him into the Cabinet and party hierarchy. Very soon, ditto with Rajiv Gandhi who unceremoniously sacked him from his first Cabinet, only to reinstate him with full dignity a few months later. By the time he was rein- ducted, he had risen to a stature befitting none else. Having held the External Affairs port- folio for close to a decade, and widely reputed for his knowl- edge of international trade and finance, Pranab Mukherjee was the acknowledged don of com- plex matters on global eco- nomic matters. Many were initially sur- prised that a man who rose from the ranks of a school- teacher in Midnapore, West Bengal, to stand shoulder to shoulder at the first UNCTAD in New Delhi alongside Cuban legend Fidel Castro. But over the years, he made all Indians proud of his deft handling of economy and politics. It was said that it was not possible for anyone to negotiate with a tiger to part with its skin but Pranabda would achieve that and leave the tiger smiling in the end. A people’s leader, he loved adda (idle talk) which Bengalis enjoy for hours at end. This was a daily source of inspiration and provided an opportunity to rummage through his phe- nomenal memory, which stunned friend and foe alike. On a personal note, I recall when he called me to the Rashtrapati Bhawan at the rel- atively late hour of 10 pm, pref- acing his invitation by saying that a journalist was not sup- posed to sleep, or even have dinner, by 10 pm, he said he normally came home around this hour, had a bath, did puja for an hour, before sitting down for dinner. He walked me to the sitting area and over two cups of coffee we resumed our adda. A few weeks later, I got a call from him requesting me to launch the second volume of his memoirs. Addressing a dis- tinguished gathering seated overlooking the Mogul Gardens was an honour I will probably never get again. While leaving I asked, Why me? He said, “How many Oxford educated journalists do we have in India? I have called the only one I know. I hope you groom some others after you.” F ormer President Pranab Mukherjee breathed his last on Monday after battling var- ious ailments, including coro- navirus, for almost 20 days. His son Abhijit Mukherjee announced the demise of the 84-year-old Mukherjee who was admitted to Army hospi- tal in the national Capital on August 10. A people’s person till the end, “Citizen Mukherjee” tweeted that he had tested positive for Covid-19 on August 10. It was his last post and his last words to the pub- lic.“With a heavy heart, this is to inform you that my father Shri Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away in spite of the best efforts of doctors of RR Hospital and prayers, duas and prarthanas from people throughout India. I thank all of you folded hands,” Abhijit Mukherjee tweeted. The late President was operated for the removal of a clot in his brain and later developed a lung infection. Pranab Mukherjee was the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017 and was conferred with the highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, by the Narendra Modi Government. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for- mer VP Hamid Ansari, Union Ministers, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several oth- ers led the nation in condoling the death of the former President saying the country has lost a statesman. While Pranab Mukherjee’s house in Birbhum’s Mirati vil- lage in West Beny wore a sad, forlorn look after the passing away of the former President, sources in Government said he will be cremated in the nation- al Capital. The Centre announced a seven-day national mourning period — August 31 to September 6. A quintessential party loy- alist and the trusted Man Friday of three Congress Prime Ministers, Pranab Mukherjee’s climb up the political ladder stopped just short of his ambi- tion to occupy the PM’s post in 2004, and instead fortunes sent him to the highest office Rashtrapati Bhavan as the country’s first citizen. Though he had many facets in his over five decades of a political career, he was Congress’ troubleshooter through the decades and one of the country’s most respect- ed politicians. Demonstrating his ability to quickly adapt to situations as they arose, Mukherjee was at ease with the new mode of communication. A politician of the past era, Mukherjee realised the signif- icance of social media tool and used Twitter a platform to reach out to people and always expressed his condolences on the death of leaders and friends, greet people on festi- vals or wish them on their birthdays. T he Supreme Court on Monday imposed a “nom- inal fine” of 1 on activist- lawyer Prashant Bhushan after he was convicted of criminal contempt for his two tweets against the judiciary, observing it was “showing magnanimity” instead of handing out any severe punishment. Bhushan later said he will submit the token fine of 1. A ctress Rhea Chakraborty was grilled for nine more hours on the fourth-consecu- tive day on Monday in the Sushant Singh death case, even as Messenger messages emerged that Suhant’s family was very much in the know of his depression. In a day of multiple devel- opments that saw officials ques- tioning her brother Showik Chakraborty for the fifth con- secutive day, also grilling the actor’s ex-manager Shruti Modi and the ED questioning hote- lier from Goa Gaurav Arya.The CBI questioned Rhea about cir- cumstances leading to Sushant’s tragic death. A mid the ongoing investiga- tion by multiple agencies into the mysterious death of film star Sushant Singh Rajput, audio tapes purported to be in his voice have emerged suggesting that the late actor was battling bipolar disorder and was con- cerned about managing his wealth and quitting Bollywood. C hief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while holding discussions with senior officers of various departments today gave necessary instructions through video conference regarding normalisation of public life affected by last week's heavy rains. Chouhan sought informa- tion from the officers of Revenue, Water Resources, Health, Narmada Valley Development, Urban Administration, Energy, Public Health Engineering, Agriculture, Public Works and Home Department about the efforts to provide relief to the flood affected people. Chief Minister Chouhan said that the administration should make dedicated efforts to address the problems of common man by standing with them in this hour of catastro- phe. Chief Minister Chouhan instructed the officers that a report should be prepared soon after assessing the damage caused to crops, roads, water resources, houses etc. The information pertaining to dam- age caused by heavy rains in the state will be sent to the Government of India, he added. Chief Minister Chouhan mentioned that the Union Minister for Agriculture Shri Narendra Singh Tomar was apprised of the damage caused to the crops in the state. Apart from this, he has also been urged for additional assistance to Madhya Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in rural areas. The Chief Minister stated that flood and heavy incessant rainfall has also caused damage to the water resources. In order to protect the health of com- mon man, pure potable water should be supplied on priori- ty. He said that Public Health Engineering department has to accomplish this task with promptness. Chief Minister Chouhan also enquired about the condition of agricultural crops. He directed to make elaborate assessment of damage to soybean crop. Along with this, he direct- ed Revenue department to assess damage to properties and Energy department to resolve the complaints, con- cerning out of order trans- formers.Chouhan said that constant vigilance is needed. He instructed Water Resources department and Narmada Valley Development to keep a close watch on the condition of lakes and reservoirs and to inform people in time regard- ing opening of gates of dams. Chief Minister Chouhan issued instructions to provide quality food to the people, accommodated in relief camps. Keeping in view the fear of spread of other diseases due to heavy rains, Chief Minister Chouhan directed Health department and Public Health Engineering department to take necessary precautionary steps in this regard. K eeping the LAC bristling with tension, China has also undertaken construc- tion of helipads and bunkers at war-footing all along the border.Satellite imagery from open sources said China has built a heliport near Doklam, which lies on the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan near Sikkim in the east. Besides this, China is also building at least two helipads in eastern Ladakh — one in Tianshuihai, which is near the Galwan Valley and the Aksai Chin region, and the other in Rutog County. RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008

Transcript of ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary...

Page 1: ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary said at AICC Press briefing. He was joined by AICC social media experts Praveen

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Tension flared up at thealready volatile Line of

Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakhwhen the Chinese troops tried tointrude into India at the PangongTso (lake) on the interveningnight of August 29-30. The alertIndian troops foiled the aggres-sion.

Not willing to let things goout of hand, the two sides heldBrigadier-level meeting onMonday and decided to main-tain peace and abide by pacts tode-escalate.

Denying that its troopscrossed the LAC, China claimedthat India violated its territorialintegrity. China also demandedthat India immediately withdrawits troops to maintain peace.Given the situation at the LACin the region where stand-off ison for the last more than threemonths and the latest “provoca-tive” step on the southern side of

the Pangong Tso by the Chinese,the Indian Army has rushedmore troops to the region,sources said.

Also, movement for gener-al traffic was restricted on thenearly 400-km long Srinagar-Lehhighway to enable the militaryconvoys to move fast. TheChinese have also deployedadditional troops there leadingto surcharged atmosphere inthe region.

Both sides have enhancedvigil all along the 4,000 km longLAC from Ladakh in the west toArunachal Pradesh in the east.Moreover, the Indian armedforces are now on alert mode tomeet any challenge, sources said.

A three-month face-off isalready on the northern bank ofthe Pangong Tso between“Finger 4” and “Finger 8” sector.Despite agreeing to disengage inthe several rounds of military-level talks, the Chinese haverefused to withdraw their troopsfrom there. They also have of lateerected more tents and builtbunkers indicating their intent.Giving details of the latest moveon August 29-30 (Saturday last),sources said here on Monday theChinese troops carried out

“provocative” military move-ments to change the status quo”near Pangong Tso. Timely intel-ligence reports enabled theIndian troops to block theChinese patrol of more than 300soldiers, they said.

Pranab Mukherjee was nevera domineering presence in

Bengal politics; in fact, he washardly a political presence inhis home State at all. But hisendearing persona and mag-nificent erudition made him,notwithstanding his strongrural Bengali accent, a highlyrespected bhadralok, a semi-litpipe hanging loose from his lipsbeing a cartoonists’ delight tillhe kicked the habit nearly 30years back.

He became a trusted lieu-tenant of Indira Gandhi with-in a few years but fell out laterafter she was advised by formercolleagues to get rid of thediminutive but highly intelli-gent and ambitious politician.However, realising his 360

degree skills, she reinductedhim into the Cabinet and partyhierarchy.

Very soon, ditto with RajivGandhi who unceremoniouslysacked him from his firstCabinet, only to reinstate himwith full dignity a few monthslater. By the time he was rein-ducted, he had risen to a staturebefitting none else. Havingheld the External Affairs port-folio for close to a decade, andwidely reputed for his knowl-edge of international trade andfinance, Pranab Mukherjee wasthe acknowledged don of com-plex matters on global eco-

nomic matters.Many were initially sur-

prised that a man who rosefrom the ranks of a school-teacher in Midnapore, WestBengal, to stand shoulder toshoulder at the first UNCTADin New Delhi alongside Cubanlegend Fidel Castro. But overthe years, he made all Indiansproud of his deft handling ofeconomy and politics. It wassaid that it was not possible foranyone to negotiate with atiger to part with its skin butPranabda would achieve thatand leave the tiger smiling inthe end.

A people’s leader, he lovedadda (idle talk) which Bengalisenjoy for hours at end. This wasa daily source of inspirationand provided an opportunity torummage through his phe-nomenal memory, whichstunned friend and foe alike.

On a personal note, I recallwhen he called me to theRashtrapati Bhawan at the rel-atively late hour of 10 pm, pref-acing his invitation by saying

that a journalist was not sup-posed to sleep, or even havedinner, by 10 pm, he said henormally came home aroundthis hour, had a bath, did pujafor an hour, before sitting downfor dinner. He walked me to thesitting area and over two cupsof coffee we resumed our adda.

A few weeks later, I got acall from him requesting me tolaunch the second volume ofhis memoirs. Addressing a dis-

tinguishedgatherings e a t e doverlookingthe MogulGardens was anhonour I willprobably neverget again. Whileleaving I asked, Whyme? He said, “Howmany Oxford educatedjournalists do we have in

India? I have called the onlyone I know. I hope you groom

some othersa f t e ryou.”

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Former President PranabMukherjee breathed his last

on Monday after battling var-ious ailments, including coro-navirus, for almost 20 days. Hisson Abhijit Mukherjeeannounced the demise of the84-year-old Mukherjee whowas admitted to Army hospi-tal in the national Capital onAugust 10.

A people’s person till theend, “Citizen Mukherjee”tweeted that he had testedpositive for Covid-19 onAugust 10. It was his last postand his last words to the pub-lic.“With a heavy heart, this isto inform you that my fatherShri Pranab Mukherjee has justpassed away in spite of the bestefforts of doctors of RRHospital and prayers, duasand prarthanas from peoplethroughout India. I thank all ofyou folded hands,” AbhijitMukherjee tweeted. The latePresident was operated for theremoval of a clot in his brain

and later developed a lunginfection. Pranab Mukherjeewas the 13th President of Indiafrom 2012 to 2017 and wasconferred with the highestcivilian award, Bharat Ratna,by the Narendra ModiGovernment.

President Ram NathKovind, Vice President MVenkaiah Naidu, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, for-mer VP Hamid Ansari, UnionMinisters, UPA ChairpersonSonia Gandhi and several oth-ers led the nation in condolingthe death of the formerPresident saying the countryhas lost a statesman.

While Pranab Mukherjee’shouse in Birbhum’s Mirati vil-lage in West Beny wore a sad,forlorn look after the passingaway of the former President,sources in Government said hewill be cremated in the nation-al Capital. The Centreannounced a seven-daynational mourning period —August 31 to September 6.

A quintessential party loy-

alist and the trusted ManFriday of three Congress PrimeMinisters, Pranab Mukherjee’sclimb up the political ladderstopped just short of his ambi-tion to occupy the PM’s postin 2004, and instead fortunessent him to the highest officeRashtrapati Bhavan as thecountry’s first citizen.

Though he had manyfacets in his over five decadesof a political career, he wasCongress’ troubleshooterthrough the decades and oneof the country’s most respect-ed politicians. Demonstratinghis ability to quickly adapt tosituations as they arose,Mukherjee was at ease with thenew mode of communication.

A politician of the past era,Mukherjee realised the signif-icance of social media tool andused Twitter a platform toreach out to people and alwaysexpressed his condolences onthe death of leaders andfriends, greet people on festi-vals or wish them on theirbirthdays. ��������� ��

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The Supreme Court onMonday imposed a “nom-

inal fine” of �1 on activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan afterhe was convicted of criminalcontempt for his two tweetsagainst the judiciary, observingit was “showing magnanimity”instead of handing out anysevere punishment.

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Actress Rhea Chakrabortywas grilled for nine more

hours on the fourth-consecu-tive day on Monday in theSushant Singh death case, evenas Messenger messagesemerged that Suhant’s familywas very much in the know ofhis depression.

In a day of multiple devel-opments that saw officials ques-tioning her brother ShowikChakraborty for the fifth con-secutive day, also grilling the

actor’s ex-manager Shruti Modiand the ED questioning hote-lier from Goa Gaurav Arya.The

CBI questioned Rhea about cir-cumstances leading to Sushant’stragic death.

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Amid the ongoing investiga-tion by multiple agencies

into the mysterious death of filmstar Sushant Singh Rajput, audio

tapes purported to be in hisvoice have emerged suggestingthat the late actor was battlingbipolar disorder and was con-cerned about managing hiswealth and quitting Bollywood.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan while holding

discussions with senior officersof various departments todaygave necessary instructionsthrough video conferenceregarding normalisation ofpublic life affected by lastweek's heavy rains.

Chouhan sought informa-tion from the officers ofRevenue, Water Resources,Health, Narmada ValleyDevelopment, UrbanAdministration, Energy, PublicHealth Engineering,Agriculture, Public Works andHome Department about theefforts to provide relief to theflood affected people.

Chief Minister Chouhansaid that the administrationshould make dedicated effortsto address the problems ofcommon man by standing withthem in this hour of catastro-phe. Chief Minister Chouhaninstructed the officers that a

report should be prepared soonafter assessing the damagecaused to crops, roads, waterresources, houses etc. Theinformation pertaining to dam-age caused by heavy rains in thestate will be sent to theGovernment of India, headded. Chief MinisterChouhan mentioned that theUnion Minister for AgricultureShri Narendra Singh Tomarwas apprised of the damagecaused to the crops in thestate. Apart from this, he hasalso been urged for additionalassistance to Madhya Pradeshunder the Pradhan MantriAwas Yojana in rural areas.

The Chief Minister statedthat flood and heavy incessantrainfall has also caused damageto the water resources. In orderto protect the health of com-mon man, pure potable watershould be supplied on priori-ty. He said that Public HealthEngineering department has toaccomplish this task withpromptness. Chief Minister

Chouhan also enquired aboutthe condition of agriculturalcrops. He directed to makeelaborate assessment of damageto soybean crop.

Along with this, he direct-ed Revenue department toassess damage to propertiesand Energy department toresolve the complaints, con-cerning out of order trans-formers.Chouhan said thatconstant vigilance is needed.He instructed Water Resourcesdepartment and NarmadaValley Development to keep a

close watch on the condition oflakes and reservoirs and toinform people in time regard-ing opening of gates of dams.

Chief Minister Chouhanissued instructions to providequality food to the people,accommodated in relief camps.Keeping in view the fear ofspread of other diseases due toheavy rains, Chief MinisterChouhan directed Healthdepartment and Public HealthEngineering department totake necessary precautionarysteps in this regard.

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Keeping the LAC bristlingwith tension, China has

also undertaken construc-tion of helipads and bunkersat war-footing all along theborder.Satellite imagery fromopen sources said China hasbuilt a heliport near Doklam,which lies on the tri-junctionof India, China and Bhutannear Sikkim in the east.

Besides this, China isalso building at least twohelipads in eastern Ladakh— one in Tianshuihai, whichis near the Galwan Valleyand the Aksai Chin region,and the other in RutogCounty.

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Page 2: ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary said at AICC Press briefing. He was joined by AICC social media experts Praveen

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Nritya Nrityathi Festival 9season was organised

online on Facebook Live. Thepeople were spell-boundwatching the wonderful classi-cal dance performances.

It was organised by NrityaNrityathi is an organisation. Itwas organised by Ritesh Babu,has been working internation-ally for the last 25 years fordancer, teacher and art pro-moter from BhilaiChhattisgarh.

The event was attended byparticipants from India, Dohaand Qatar under which dancein different genres. It was per-formed by Kathak,Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi,Mohiniyattam and Sattriya. Atotal of 60 performers partici-pated in the event.

The young artist GarimaWaikar from Bhopal was theonly participant who per-formed Kathak dance at the

event. She has been illuminat-ing the name of the statethrough different forums fromMadhya Pradesh Bhopal, hasmade its presentation on manyforums, participated in aboutfour programmes online dur-ing the lockdown and got firstplace in the event.

She performed in BhojpalFestival Fair at ShaheedBhavan, events held at LNCTCollege, Ashima Mall, BhopalHaat, JK Hospital Campus,Capital Mall and many otherplaces. She gave spontaneousKathak performances and hasgrabbed applauses.

Garima said that whatevershe is today, she is from thesame education that her teacherSonia Nag has given to danceas well as her mother SheelaWaikar who works for the dif-ferently-abled children UdayaEducation and Public Welfarethrough the committee andfrom her father, CA NaveenWaikar is her inspiration.

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The police in Indore havebooked 13 persons includ-

ing a former corporator, fortaking out five Tazia proces-sions in city on Sunday. TheSHO of Khajrana police stationhas been removed over dere-liction in duty.

Meanwhile, Mayor MaliniGaud has written to ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhan for action againstsenior officials over incident.Those arrested by policeinclude former corporatorUsman Patel.

Despite police presence,Muslim community membersin large numbers in Khajranaarea had taken out five Taziaprocessions on Sunday breach-ing social distancing and withmost of them not wearingmasks.

The police acted after BJPleader Umesh Sharma tweeted

incident to DIG police afterwhich SHO of area wasremoved and Sub DivisionalMagistrate (SDM) has beenissued show cause notice onmatter.

All kinds of processionsand gatherings are prohibitedby district administration incity after a massive covid19outbreak in city early this year.

Meanwhile alleging intelli-gence failure over Tazia pro-cessions, Mayor and MLAMalini Gaud wrote to CMChouhan seeking action onsenior officials in city. TheBJP leaders are mum on theGanesha pandal set up by partyMLA Ramesh Mendola inassembly constituency no2 areaagainst norms.

Congress spokespersonAminul Khan said that actioncould be taken against Taziaprocession without permissionbut demanded action on BJPMLA Ramesh Mendola as well.

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Anew collection of 26 bookswas released at Swami

Vivekananda Library. Swami Vivekananda

brought members' favouritebooks on display in the libraryand a collection of popularbooks and latest books wasreleased on Monday. Such col-lections are released once amonth on demand of the mem-bers.

In this collection, a total of26 books are put on display.Most new books have alsobeen included in books sug-gested by the members.

Books like The end gameauthors. Hussain Zaidi,Building a Happy FamilyAuthor Lumba Form, Leadingwith Gratitude Author AdrianGostik, A Burning AuthorMegha Mazumdar, AnxietyAuthor Sonali Gupta, TheDeath Script Author AshutoshBharadwaj and more are in col-

lection. Books like The endgame author s. Hussain Zaidi,Building a Happy FamilyAuthor Lumba Form, Leadingwith Gratitude Author AdrianGostik, A Burning AuthorMegha Mazumdar, AnxietyAuthor Sonali Gupta, TheDeath Script Author AshutoshBharadwaj and more are in thecollection.

The library has made pro-visions for those who are mem-bers of the library can writesuggestions of their favouritebooks in name of registerbooks or can also give sugges-tions on email.

Library members are wait-ing for new collections. "It isour endeavour to make booksaccessible to members byadding them to library collec-tion which is popular and pop-ular," said Bhatele. SwamiVivekananda Library ManagerYatish Bhatele said that libraryhas started a new facility forlibrary members.

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Due to the sudden death offormer President of India

Pranab Mukherjee, all the cul-tural events organised by theDepartment of Culture,Madhya Pradesh have beencalled off.

Pranab Mukherjee, the for-mer President died at 84. Hewas declared dead on Monday.The former President of India,who had tested positive forcoronavirus, had been in acoma after a brain surgeryearlier this month.

It is to be noted, after thenews of his death, the culturalactivities to be held online bythe Department of Culturewere cancelled on Monday.Notably, a pre-reading sessionin Punjabi literature by MeenaNaveen, Ambala was scheduledto be held on Monday. Afterthis, Gurmat music was sched-uled to be performed by themelodious singer AlankarSingh, Department of Music,Punjabi University- Patiala.The broadcast was supposed to

be aired on the museum'sYouTube channel. Besides, thecultural activities are held everyday on the department'syoutube channel.

in view of the worldwidecrisis of Coronavirus, a creativeinitiative is taken by the CultureDepartment Madhya PradeshGovernment by connectingthe artists of the country andState, which has received anencouraging response.

The writers, poets andartists invited by theDepartment of Culture fromtime to time in its events, wererequested to send their creativeact for the society on theirbehalf in this hour of crisis,which they circulated to allthrough their social media.

All the acts are beinguploaded on the officialYouTube channel ofDepartment of Culture.

But due to PranabMukherjee's sudden demiseon Monday, all these eventsincluding Tabla recital, Kathakdance, gudumbaja and morewere scancelled.

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Madhya Pradesh CongressGeneral Secretary Mohd

Salim passed away here onMonday, while undergoingtreatment for Corona.

His wife Mehzabeen toodied of Corona around twoweeks ago. Since, Mohd Salimwas admitted in Chirayu hos-pital for Coronavirus treatment,he could not attend her last rites.

Former Vice Chairman ofBhopal Development Authority(BDA), Mohd Salim was con-sidered close to former ChiefMinister Kamal Nath for overfour decades.

PCC Chief Kamal Nathpaying homage to the departedsoul said that the demise ofMohd Salim is a personal loss tohim. PCC office bearers havealso expressed profound griefover his untimely death. He waslaid to rest at Jehangirabadgraveyard.

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Under the latest and popu-lar online series of Indira

Gandhi Rashtriya ManavSangrahalaya entitled ‘Exhibitof the Week’, the Khekhda, awooden mask of Baiga Tribe/Community from Mandla,Madhya Pradesh,

India displayed in the audi-ence as the last Exhibit of themonth of August, 2020 throughofficial website, Facebook,Instagram and twitter page ofthe IGRMS.

In this regard PraveenKumar Mishra, Director,IGRMS said that, A wide rangeof masks are used by differenttribal groups throughout theworld and are very popular forits expression and unique form.

Among the tribes ofMadhya Pradesh there hasbeen a tradition of wearingmask during dance, theatrical

performance and festivals.Khekhda is one such maskbelonging to Baiga tribe ofMadhya Pradesh and is wornduring the celebration ofChherta and Holi festival.Chherta is celebrated on theday of Paus Purnima post har-vesting. During the celebrationyoung Baiga male wear themask representing the charac-ter of Ravan andHiranyakashyap and performChherta dance to entertain theaudience with their hilariousmoves and gestures.

On Holi festival the Baigamale put on the mask and per-form phag dance with Baigafemale wearing Gijji. Gijji ismade up of quills of Porcupinefashioned into a face cover.Nowadays Porcupine quills arereplaced by bamboo splits.Khekhda representsHiranyakashyap and Gijji rep-resents Holika.

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Governor Anandiben Patelhas said that it is must to

pay attention to both securityof life and livelihood in battleagainst Covid. She urgedyouths to make efforts con-stantly in order to fulfill theirdreams. Success is sure.

There are many instancesin our history, when the worksof social, economic and nation-al re-building have been suc-cessfully accomplished withnew energy after major crisesand challenges.

Patel was addressing thefoundation stone laying cere-mony of Yogeshwar ShriKrishna Yoga Bhavan andAcharya Sandipani ShikshaBhavan of Maharishi PaniniSanskrit and Vedic Universityonline from Lucknow RajBhavan today.

Patel has called upon formoving forward with the goal

of the best in every field to real-ize the vision of Ek BharatSarvashreshtha Bharat. It has tobe decided that ordinary willnot work. Aim for the best pro-duction, the best labour and thebest governance.

She said that the future ofthe country and the youth isbright. With the ‘NationalEducation Policy’, a new qual-ity education system will devel-op, which will pave the way fora new India by turning futurechallenges into opportunities.

The National EducationPolicy is a visionary and far-sighted policy. Efforts tostrengthen inclusion, innova-tion and institutional values ineducation are essential for suc-cessful implementation.

She said that the universi-ty should prepare a compre-hensive action plan in themodern context of expansionof Sanskrit language and liter-ature as per the new education

policy. In order to develop thequality of self-reliance in thestudents, emphasis should belaid on practical studies alongwith theoretical study-teachingof all the courses. One of themajor objectives of Sanskriteducation is to create a wellqualified citizen. Teacher train-ing programmes should beorganized by incorporatingvalues based education for thecreation of best teachers in theUniversity.

The Governor further saidthat every citizen should takea pledge for self-reliant India.Everyone should decide thatthey will contribute in mini-mizing imports. Will becomevocal for local in strengtheningsmall scale industries and inno-vate more and more.

With the pledge to workwith mind, promise and deeds,all will strive for the welfare ofyouths, women, tribals, sched-uled caste, handicapped, poor

and people of backward classand for strengthening othersectors. She appreciated thepositive efforts of the universityin transforming the adverse sit-uation under the lockdownperiod into an opportunity.

Minister for HigherEducation Mohan Yadav hassaid that efforts should bemade to transform theUniversity into world classUniversity. The requirements ofthe University should be iden-tified and presented in order ofpriority. Efforts will be made tofulfill the requirements forNAAC and UGC recognition atthe earliest.

He said that the impor-tance of yoga has been furtherstrengthened in the efforts toprevent Covid-19 infection.The effort to construct YogaBhavan at this time is a timelyinitiative. My heartiest con-gratulations to the UniversityManagement, he added.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that

farmers should not be worrieddue to the damage caused byexcess rain and floods.

The Government is in actionand stands with them. All

efforts will be made to com-pensate for losses through cropinsurance scheme and RBCprovisions by making everypossible arrangement andensure rehabilitation.

Crops are affected in about7 lakh hectare area in 14 dis-tricts of State. Now water levelis receding in most places andsituation is under control.Arrangements have been madeto provide food, drinking water

etc. at relief camps in floodaffected area. The Union HomeMinister has been apprisedwith the state’s condition.

The Chief Minister saidthat along with crop lossbiggest challenge is to makearrangements for sanitation,take preventive measuresagainst spread of diseases pro-vide clean drinking water andrestore power supply in flood

affected areas. The adminis-tration is engaged in this taskwith full force. Ministers willalso be entrusted with respon-sibility. Chief MinisterChouhan said that reasons forbridge collapse in Seoni will beprobed.

Chouhan has thanked allagencies including districtadministration, Army, AirForce, SDRF, NDRF for beingactive round clock and pro-viding prompt relief to peoplein this hour of crisis.

As many as 264 peoplewere airlifted by five Air Forcehelicopters in flood affectedareas. Chief Minister Chouhanthanked pilots Adarsh andSanjay Srivastava for rescuework through helicopters

amidst the thick clouds despiteadverse weather conditions.The Chief Minister alsothanked Army GroupCommander and all fivepilots.Chouhan said thatinstructions were issued toprovide free transportation tothe students appearing in JEEMain and NEET-2020 exami-nations in State. This arrange-ment has been made so thatstudents do not face problemsdue to Corona.

Students will have to comefrom their village/city to devel-opment block or district head-quarters to get this facility.Transport facility will be pro-vided by district administra-tion for commuting to andfrom examination centre.

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The situation is still not clearas when the bus transport

will start in the State. The busowners are adamant on theirdemands of waiving the tax onbuses that were parked duringthe lockdown.

At the same time, the Stategovernment is not able to takeany decision regarding this.This is affecting the bus busi-ness as well as the commonpeople.

Now, the bus owners aresurrendering their buses tothe transport department.President of Mandsaur BusOwners Association, ShikharRatadia and guardian ofNeemuch Bus Association,

Mukesh Gupta said that morethan 500 stranded buses run inMandsaur and Neemuch dis-trict, while there are about 35thousand buses in the entirestate, involving 1.50 lakh busowners and employees Hasfamilies, many of whom havehad the idea of ??starving.

Meanwhile, on August 20,the government had given per-mission to operate the busaccording to the capacity andhas also given instructions tocollect the outstanding tax byAugust 31, but the StateGovernment has not yet pre-pared any draft regarding taxwaiver, so all the associationsThe members have started theprocess of surrendering thebuses by holding a meeting.

He told that the bus own-ers reached Bhopal on August18 and also made theirdemands in front of the statetransport minister Govid SinghRajput, finance ministerJagdish Deora and small andmicro industries minister OmPrakash Saklecha.

After almost 12 days, dueto no redress, Neemuch andMandsaur District BusOperators Association mem-bers reached the district trans-port office and submitted thesurrender of their buses to theofficer in the transport depart-ment. Both officials said that

All the bus operators willdecide the next strategy bymeeting the Government's cal-lousness.

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Each one of us have dream forourselves and our loved

ones. And in order to accom-plish these dreams, we workhard and earn to provide theloved ones a better future. Themost important thing to realizeyour dreams is planning aheadwell in advance.

However, one significantconcern that the people - most-ly salaried segment - see is lackof post-retirement guaranteed

pension which promises guar-anteed and maximum returns.In our country, where nation-wide social security cover is notthat robust, it is advised thatindividuals must do their retire-ment planning within few yearsof onset of their career.

Vivek Jain, Investment,Business Unit Head,Policybazaar.com said thatoften, by the time people realisethe importance of retirementplanning, they are already in theevening of their careers. That’s

why you need a comprehensivesolution that helps you achievethese dreams and can also becustomized to match your needswhile giving you peace of mind.

Finding Right InvestmentProductVivek Jain, Investment,Business Unit Head,Policybazaar.com said Thereare many resources to get start-ed in investing, but challenge ofproviding access to thoseresources to those who need it,particularly underserved com-munities, remains.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan toured the flood

affected areas of Hoshangabaddistrict on Monday. Chouhanreached Balabhent, the mostaffected village of Babai blockaccompanied by Army men ina boat.

Covering a distance ofapproximately half an hour byboat, the Chief Ministerreached the village and tookstock of the situation andenquired about the condition ofthe villagers. While interactingwith the villagers, ChiefMinister Chouhan said thatthey should not worry aboutanything, all possible assis-

tance will be provided to them.He also distributed food pack-ets and water bottles to the vil-lagers during the visit.

Villagers of Balabhent,which has been submerged inthe backwaters of Tawa riverdue to excess rainfall, feltrelieved on finding ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhan in their midst.

The villagers told CMChouhan that we are fortunatethat you have come all the wayto this remote flooded area toinquire about our well-being.

Chief Minister Chouhansaid that the administrationwill take necessary action forproper arrangements in theentire village. He told the vil-

lagers not to worry, and assuredall possible help. The villagersbecame emotional due to thewarm behavior of the ChiefMinister.

Chouhan instructed theofficers of the district admin-istration present on the occa-sion to ensure that no one facesany problems in the village andthe villagers are provided allpossible assistance and essen-tial resources.

Among those present onthe occasion include MLAHoshangabad SitasaranSharma, MLA PipariyaThakurdas Nagvanshi,Collector Dhananjay Singhbesides administrative andpolice officers.

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The CII Madhya PradeshSkill Summit 2020 was held

on Monday. It was organisedunder the initiative of a Statelevel panel on higher educationand skill development of CIIand in collaboration withAISECT, IES University andSytech.

Siddharth Chaturvedi,chairman of CII Bhopal Zoneand convener of the panel onhigher education of CII and co-convenor of the panel on high-er education of CII, were alsopresent.

Among the keynote speak-ers, Anurag Shrivastava spokeon industry problems and saidthat the industry is grapplingwith Corona's impact and lackof workflow.

Venkatesh SarvsiddhiHead of Digital Service andInnovation of the National

Skill Development Councilsaid that the market for edu-cation and digital education isgrowing continuously. In sucha situation, the demand foronline courses run by variousinstitutions is increasing, whichis helpful in increasing theskills.

Sunita Sanghi, SeniorAdvisor, Skill DevelopmentMinistry, Government of India,said that due to Corona, therehas been a significant impacton the economy. Many jobroles have changed and nownew skill sets are needed.

Commissioner ofTechnical EducationDepartment P Narhariinformed about the need forskilling and the initiatives ofMadhya Pradesh governmentin the context of MadhyaPradesh.

He said that skill develop-ment can be brought aboutthrough public private part-nership and through innovativesteps, the goal of self-reliantMadhya Pradesh can beachieved.

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Page 3: ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary said at AICC Press briefing. He was joined by AICC social media experts Praveen

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Delhi Assembly’s Peace andHarmony Committee has

found Facebook complicit inDelhi riots that took place inDelhi this year. The Committee

has decided to issue summonsfor the appearance of Facebookofficials before the committee onthe basis of the aforesaid mate-rial and the scathing deposition.

The witnesses submittedincriminating material onrecord before the committee aswell as made scathing deposi-tions against Facebook Inc,Prima facie reflecting the com-plicity of the Social Mediagiant of aggravating Delhi riots.

The deposition and the

evidence tendered to theCommittee reveals that therehave been major lapses byFacebook India in applyingtheir community standards.

Witness Awesh Tiwari, aSenior Journalist based inChhattisgarh who lodged FIRagainst Ankhi das, has claimedthat a riot like situation wasplanned to be executed beforeDelhi assembly elections. Healso asserted that Facebookdeliberately reduces the visi-

bility and reach of contentwhich aims at highlighting theunity and amity between thecommunities. The witnesseshave alleged strong complicityon the part of Facebook inaggravation of Delhi Riots

The committee took thedecision on the premise ofincriminatory material pro-duced on record by the wit-nesses as well as their scathingdepositions before theCommittee, and thus deciding

to summon the Facebook offi-cials in its next meeting inorder to examine them onoath and determine on theirculpability.

Further, the committee hasalso urged the need of an inde-pendent investigation leading tothe filing of a supplementarycharge sheet in the ongoingcases related to Delhi riots onthe basis of supportive and cor-roborative material during thecourse of purported investiga-

tion. On Monday, three wit-nesses were examined by thecommittee namely AweshTiwari: Journalist fromChhattisgarh who had lodgedFIR against Ankhi Das, KunalPurohit, independent journalistand researcher, Subhash Gatade,an independent journalist.

The committee had earliercalled upon other expert wit-nesses who deposed before thecommittee and contributedsome valuable insights.

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The governor Baby RaniMaurya, chief minister

Trivendra Singh Rawat, variousministers and leaders across thepolitical spectrum haveexpressed grief at the passingaway of former President ofIndia, Pranab Mukherjee.

In her condolence message,the governor said, “PranabMukherjee was an uncommonpublic leader, educationalist,

economist, parliamentarian andadministrator. He spent hiswhole live in the service of thenation. His tenure as thePresident of India was alsounforgettable.

He had considerable affec-tion for Dehradun andUttarakhand. He had facilitatedthe renovation of the presi-dent's bodyguard estate ‘Ashiana’in Dehradun,” she said whileexpressing her condolences tothe bereaved family.Conveying

his condolence to the bereavedfamily of Bharat Ratna recipientMukherjee, the CM said that theformer president had a multi-faceted personality. He said,“He was an expert in politics,finance, law and other subjects.

He left a lasting impressionduring his long public and polit-ical life. An able administrator,he was a leading personality ofIndian politics. Having a specialaffection for Uttarakhand, hehad also addressed the State’s

Vidhan Sabha,” said Rawat.Expressing grief at Mukherjee’sdemise, Assembly speakerPremchand Agrawal said that itwas an irreparable loss for soci-ety. “The country has lost aleader who always remainedconnected to the ground level.

He was very capable andserved the country in variouscapacities. A multifaceted per-sonality, he was known for lit-erary skill, journalism, gentleand cordial while reaching the

top of politics. He has left animpression on the nation’s devel-opment,” said Agrawal.

The State’s Tourism andCulture minister Satpal Maharajalso expressed grief atMukherjee’s demise. The min-ister said, “His demise is anirreparable loss. He alwaysaccorded importance to demo-cratic and parliamentary values.He was also attached toUttarakhand and visited thestate many times.

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Sixty nine fresh cases of vec-tor-borne diseases were

reported in the NationalCapital in the last one week,taking the total number ofpeople infected with dengue,malaria and chikungunya to276 this year till August 29.

According to the municipalreport 24 fresh cases of dengue,38 cases of malaria and sevencases of chikungunya reportedin Delhi.

The total number ofdengue cases has reached 105this year while 128 people havebeen infected with malaria till29 August. The number forchikungunya is 43.

“Mosquito-breeding hasbeen reported in at least 44259households and 35103 legalnotices have been issued thisyear. The dengue breedingcheckers have checked12666665 houses and alsoissued challans to 1512 num-bers of office and residentialpremises,” according to the lat-est report by the South DelhiMunicipal Corporation(SDMC), which compiles infec-tions data after taking inputsfrom three other corporations:south Delhi, East Delhi andNorth Delhi municipal corpo-rations.

.“Malaria can occurthroughout the year but peaksduring rain and post rainy

season. The on and off rainshave made these areas water-logged, which becomes thesuitable breeding ground formosquitoes. We have to be verycareful about our surroundings

and keep it dry and clean sothat mosquitoes don’t breedthere. We have to use mosqui-to nets/repellent to keep mos-quitoes away. Not only malar-ia but also dengue is quite com-

mon in this season," said DrRamani Ranjan, ConsultantPediatrician and Neonatologistat Motherhood Hospital.

"Fogging and area spraysmust be properly timed tocoincide with the time of peakof adult mosquito activity,because resting mosquitoes areoften found in areas that aredifficult for the insecticide toreach. These diseases mayrequire prolonged hospital stayand in the times of COVID-19,it also increases our healthburden,” he said.

The SDMC and NorthernRailways on Friday flagged offa mosquito terminator trainfrom New Delhi RailwayStation to insecticide from a

power sprayer mounted on atruck placed over the train tosubstantially mitigate the threatof vector borne diseases includ-ing Chikungunya and Denguein 50 to 60 meter area on bothsides of railway tracks.

This year, Delhi ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal in hisaddress on ‘Independence Day’announced that the govern-ment will launch a megadengue prevention awarenesscampaign from next month tocombat vector borne diseases.Kejriwal had launched a simi-lar campaign last year whichgarnered massive support fromthe public and several otherwell-known personalitiesacross the country.

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Punjab Government hasdecided to continue with all

the existing restrictions in theState, including weekend andnight curfew in the urban areas,during Unlock 4.0 till Septemberend.

Taking serious view of thespiraling cases of COVID-19across the State, Chief MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh onMonday announced theGovernment’s decision to con-tinue with restrictions in urbanareas, including weekend lock-down in all the 167 municipaltowns of the State, along with 7pm to 5 am curfew in all citiestill the September 30.

The decision has been takenin due consultation with theCentre, as required by theUnlock 4.0 guidelines issued bythe Union Ministry of HomeAffairs, said the officialspokesperson.

As per the state govern-ment’s new guidelines, Section144 of the CrPC banning allsocial, political, religious gath-erings, protests and demonstra-tions will continue to remain inforce throughout the State, whilegatherings relating to marriageand funerals shall be allowedonly for 30 persons and 20 per-sons respectively.

There will be total curfew onSaturdays and Sundays in themunicipal states, while move-ment of individuals for all non-essential activities shall remainprohibited between 7 pm and 5am within municipal limits of allthe cities of Punjab throughout

the week.However, theGovernment has excluded themovement of students and oth-ers in connection with all kindsof examinations, admission orentrance tests conducted by theUniversities, Boards, PublicService Commissions and otherinstitutions from the restric-tions, with the Chief Ministerissuing directions to the districtauthorities to facilitate theirmovement.

Religious places have alsobeen allowed to stay open on alldays up to 6.30 pm, as have beenrestaurants (including those inmalls) and liquor vends. Therestrictions on day or time do notapply to hotels.

Capt Amarinder has direct-ed the district authorities tostrictly comply with these guide-lines. Besides, police have alsobeen asked to ensure strict actionagainst the organizers and mainparticipants in case of any vio-lation of orders under section144 of CrPC.

Spokesperson made it clearthat essential activities and ser-vices, movement of persons andgoods on national and statehighways, inter-state and intrastate movement of persons andunloading of cargo and travel ofpersons to their destinationsafter disembarking from buses,trains and aeroplanes will be per-mitted during the restrictiveconditions.

These essential servicesinclude those related to health,agricultural and related activities,dairying and fishery activities,banks, ATMs, stock markets,insurance companies.

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Thirty per cent non-resi-dent Covid patients are

being treated in Delhi as perthe data shared by the State (Delhi) Health Department,Delhi administration. Thenumber of other States’ Covid-19 patients have beenincreased in Government andprivate hospitals both.

According to a databasehaving total number of patientsbetween July 26 to August 28,the admission percentage ofoutside patients in Delhi hasincreased drastically from 19.5percent to 30.8 percent.

It is important to mentionhere that the percentage of out-side patients fluctuateed from19 percent on July 27 th, 40.6percent on August 10th tonearly 31 percent till August28th.

It implies that the averagepercentage of outside coronainfected patients in Delhi is 30percent.

The Covid -19 hospitaldata of corona patients admit-ted in city hospitals furtherillustrated that patients fromUttar Pardesh,Bihar, Haryana,Rajasthan also admitted for thetreatment.

Instance - in Delhi’s BLKhospital total 98 patients havebeen admitted while 47 belongto Delhi , 51 patients are fromoutside.

In Apollo, out of total 158patients, 111 patients who getCorona treatment are fromoutside while only 47 fromDelhi.

In Max, Saket out of total175 patients, 95 are non-resi-dents of Delhi while inPatparganj branch - 73 patientsare from Delhi however 61 arefrom outside.

In Sir Ganga Ram hospitalour of total 100 corona patients,only 44 are from Delhi and 66patients outsiders.

If one analyse the overalldata of almost one month spanfrom July26 to August 28th, thetotal admission of Coronapatients have been increasing.

As per government data,on July 26, 241 Covid patientswere admitted in city hospitals,on July 27, the number ofcorona patients was 273.

In percentage wise, theoutside admission in Delhigovernment was 32.3 percenton August 8, 34.1 percent onAugust 21 with total number ofpatients admitted 340, 28.8percent on August 25 with458 covid registration.

Further, if death data ofspan from August 3 till August29th, 293 people outside havebeen died against 397 of Delhi.

Earlier, Delhi ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal hadinvited suggestions fromDelhiites on whether coronapatients outside Delhi shouldget treatment in private hospi-tals and Delhi governmenthospitals or not.

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The Enforcement Directorate(ED) has arrested suspend-

ed Aam Admi Party (AAP)Councillor Tahir Hussain underthe provisions of the Preventionof Money Laundering Act(PMLA) and has secured a six-day custodial remand from aspecial court here.

Hussain is being probed bythe ED in connection with hisrole in money laundering andfunding of anti-CAA protestsand allegedly organizing riots inNorth-East Delhi duringFebruary, 2020. The ED probeis based on multiple FIRs regis-

tered by Crime Branch andDayalpur Police Station of DelhiPolice under IPC Sections relat-ing to murder, attempt to mur-der, , extortion and criminal con-spiracy which which are sched-uled offences underPMLA.“Investigation conduct-ed under PMLA have revealedthat companies owned/con-trolled by Hussain and his rela-tives transferred huge amountsof money to dubious entities /entry operators which werereturned by them in cash. Thecash received by Hussainthrough entry operators wasused to fuel anti-CAA protestsand Delhi riots.

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Delhi Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia on

Monday reiterated his standagainst the options given by theGovernment of India during ameeting with the FinanceMinisters of West Bengal,Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Keralaand Telangana in reference tothe GST council meeting con-vened by the Finance Ministerof India on August 27.

Sisodia discussed viableoptions with the FinanceMinisters of other states regard-ing the shortfall in the econo-my due to the Covid-19 out-break.

It is pertinent to mentionhere that the Ministry ofFinance, Government of Indiacirculated GST compensationoptions through an arbitrarydivision of shortfall arising outof GST implementation andshortfall arising out on accountof COVID pandemic.

While Finance Ministryestimated the total shortfall forthe year 2020-21 is expected tobe around Rs.2.3 lakh crore, outof which Rs.96,477 crore is onaccount of implementation ofGST and the remaining onaccount of COVID-19, theoptions given by the Uniongovernment were the shortfallarising out of GST implemen-tation (calculated at Rs.97,000crores approximately) will beborrowed by States through theissue of debt under a SpecialWindow coordinated by theMinistry of Finance.

Moreover, the interest onthe borrowing under theSpecial Window will be paidfrom the Cess as and when itarises until the end of the tran-sition period.

According to the UnionFinance Ministry. “After thetransition period, principaland interest will also be paidfrom the proceeds of the Cess,by extending the Cess beyondthe transition period for suchperiod as may be required. TheState will not be required to ser-vice the debt or to repay it fromany other source".

Borrowing under theSpecial Window will not be

treated as a debt of the State forany norms which may be pre-scribed by the FinanceCommission. It said.

However in option -II, theentire shortfall of Rs.2,35,000crores (including the COVID-impact portion) may be bor-rowed by States through theissue of market debt. The GOIwill issue an OM committing tothe repayment of the principalon such debt from Cess.

In the first meeting of GST,it was further discussed that theinterest shall be paid by theStates from their resources andto elaborate on the options pro-vided by the Government ofIndia and to arrive at a con-sidered opinion on this com-plicated issue, FinanceMinisters of West Bengal,Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Kerala,Telangana, and Delhi had adetailed discussion throughVideo Conference this after-noon and unanimously decid-ed to reject both the optionsgiven by the Government ofIndia since these options areagainst the letter and spirit ofthe GST Compensation Actand the Constitution (101stAmendment) Act

However, these statesresolved that the only legallytenable option is the entire esti-mated shortfall of Rs.2,35,000crores in the compensationcess fund may be borrowed bythe Government of Indiathrough RBI/any other suitablemechanism.

According to Delhi gov-ernment, Finance Ministersagreed to take up the above asthe only viable option beforethe Nation and the same will be

brought before the GSTCouncil

The repayment of the prin-cipal and the interest liabilityshould start w.e.f. 2022 andshould be entirely serviced outof the receipt from the cess forwhich the GST Council shouldextend the period of levy of cessbeyond 5 years or till the timeit is required to repay the debt.

This will obviate the needfor borrowing by individualStates, which has complicationsin terms of the borrowingcapacities of the State, andalso differential interest ratesfor different States especially inOption No.2. This will also bea clean mechanism as the entireborrowing has to be routedthrough the “Goods andServices Tax CompensationFund as mandated by Section10 of the Goods and ServicesTax (Compensation to States)Act, 2017.”

"GST Council to authorizethe Government of India toborrow the said amount and tomake suitable amendments inthe Goods and Services Tax(Compensation to States) Act,2017 to extend the levy and col-lection of Cess under theGoods and Services Tax(Compensation to States) Act,2017 for the purpose of meet-ing the repayment liabilitiesarising out of the borrowing bythe Government of India. andUnder this option, the CentralGovernment will also not berequired to make the relax-ations in the borrowing limitsof the State and or provide forspecial borrowing permissionsin respect of States/UnionTerritories", it said.

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Punjab has formally rejectedboth options provided by

the Central Government tomake up for Goods and ServiceTax (GST) compensation short-fall.

Punjab Finance MinisterManpreet Badal on Mondaywrote to Union FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamancommunicating the decisionwhile seeking clarity on sever-al concerns raised by the State.

The Finance Minister hasasked the Centre to reconsiderthe decision which was taken atthe last Goods and Services Tax

Council (GSTC) meeting. “Wethus take both the options withgreat regret as a clear breach ofsolemn and constitutionalassurance by the CentralGovernment,” said Manpreet inthe letter, adding that Punjabwould like full clarity on eachof these issues and the matteronce again placed on the agen-da in the next meeting of GSTCouncil.

“We believe this is a betray-al of the spirit of cooperativefederalism that formed thebackbone of the GST journey sofar,” he said, reiterating thedemand for a dispute resolutionmechanism. Alternatively a

GOM (group of ministers) maybe constituted to deliberate onthe matter and make recom-mendations in a time-boundperiod of 10 days, he suggest-ed adding that Punjab is pre-pared to cooperate in a spirit offinding a solution to this vexedproblem but is unable to per-suade itself to either of theoptions presented at this stage.

Manpreet flagged that thestates alone have very little rolein the finalization of GST struc-ture or tax rates, and future bor-rowings and repayment capac-ity will alter based on the deci-sions taken by the GST Council,where Centre has decisive vote.

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Page 4: ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary said at AICC Press briefing. He was joined by AICC social media experts Praveen

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Even as Maharashtra,Andhra Pradesh and

Karnataka are already con-tributing around 43 per cent ofthe total Covid-19 caseload inIndia, four populous StatesUttar Pradesh, Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh, and Odisha havestarted giving nightmares to theGovernment with a suddensurge in the number of infec-tions and some of them evenreporting high mortality.

On Monday, an alarmedUnion Health Ministry decid-ed to deploy high-levelCentral teams comprising ofan epidemiologist and a pub-lic health expert to theseStates to help the authoritiesthere in strengthening con-tainment, surveillance, testing

and efficient clinical man-agement mechanisms.

Of these four States, UttarPradesh has the maximumnumber of active cases peggedat 54,666, followed by Odisha(27,219), Chhattisgarh(13,520) and Jharkhandwhich has 11,577 active cases.

In terms of total/cumula-tive cases till date, UttarPradesh has 2,25,632, Odisha(1,00,934), Jharkhand (38,435)and Chhattisgarh has 30,092cases. The most number ofdeaths are reported in UttarPradesh (3,423) while Odisha,Jharkhand and Chhattisgarhare reporting 482, 410 and 269deaths cumulatively.

A senior official from theMinistry said that each of themulti-sectoral teams will alsoguide the States in effectively

managing the challenges relat-ed to timely diagnosis and fol-low up.

The ministry also saidthat seven states have con-tributed to 70 per cent of thenew cases in the last 24 hours.Of these, Maharashtra hascontributed the maximumcaseload amounting to almost21 per cent, followed byAndhra Pradesh 13.5 per cent,

Karnataka 11.27 per cent andTamil Nadu with 8.27 percent.

Of the total number ofcases, around 43 per cent wererecorded in just three states ofMaharashtra, Andhra Pradeshand Karnataka, it said.

Maharashtra, AndhraPradesh and Karnataka alsoaccount for about 50 per centof the deaths added in the last

24 hours due to COVID-19,with Maharashtra leading with30.48 per cent, the ministrysaid.

The coronavirus tally inIndia crossed 36 lakh onMonday with 78,512 newcases, while the number ofrecoveries surged to 27,74,801,pushing the recovery rate to76.62 per cent, according tothe Health Ministry data. The

death toll climbed to 64,469with 971 more people suc-cumbing to the infection in 24hours.

The daily testing capacityhas been scaled up to morethan 10 lakh in August 2020while the cumulative tests

have crossed 4.23 crore with8,46,278 tests conducted inthe past 24 hours, said theofficial.

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The ongoing suspension ofscheduled international

passenger flights has beenextended till September 30.The Directorate General ofCivil Aviation (DGCA) onMonday announced its deci-sion to extend the suspensionof international flight opera-tions. This ban will not applyto international all-cargo andinternational scheduled flightsapproved by the DGCA.

The circular, dated August31, stated that travel and visarestrictions have been furtherextended. But the DGCA stat-ed that it may allow interna-tional scheduled flights on

selected routes on case-to case-basis.

DGCA had first issued acircular suspending both inter-national and domestic flightson March 26 when the nation-wide lockdown was announcedin order to curtail the spread ofcoronavirus pandemic. After

two months of a complete banon flights, India resumed itsflight operations on May 25.While domestic travel has beenallowed, international flightsare operational only underVande Bharat Mission to bringback Indians stranded over-seas.

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Unfazed by the continuousrise in the Covid-19

cases, particularly in the lastfew days when the infectioncrossed 60,000 mark daily,Union Health Minister DrHarsh Vardhan on Mondayexpressed confidence that thecountry’s coronavirus countwill be “under control” byDiwali (which falls in midNovember) this year. Vardhanalso expressed hope abouthaving a vaccine againstCovid-19 by the year-end.

Inaugurating the ‘NationFirst’ webinar series, organ-ised by the AnathkumarFoundation, he pointed outthat the country was muchahead in tackling the pan-demic.

“The Covid-19 will sig-nificantly come under controlby the Deepavali this year.The leaders and common

people effectively workedtogether to fight the pan-demic,” the Minister said.

“But, the virus has taughtus a certain lesson, it hastaught us there has to be anew normal and we need tobe more diligent about, morecautious about our lifestyle...,”Dr Vardhan added.

“We are not laggingbehind anyone else in thewhole world in our efforts tocontribute towards the vac-cine against COVID... InIndia we have about 7-8 vac-cine candidates, three of them

in the clinical trial phases andrest in the pre- clinical trialsand by the end of this year wehope to be able to get a vac-cine against COVID,” he said.

The Minister said therewas only one lab in Februarywhich has now increased to1,583 nationwide, and out ofthis more than 1,000 are gov-ernment labs.

The country is conduct-ing about 1 million tests perday which is way ahead of thetarget, he said.

He observed that com-pared to earlier there is noscarcity of PPE kits, ventila-tors, and N 95 masks now

“The scarcity of PPE kits,ventilators, and N 95 masks isno more now. Every day, fivelakh PPE kits are produced inthe country while 10 manu-facturers are producing N95masks. 25 producers are man-ufacturing ventilators,” theMinister added.

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The Congress on Mondaydemanded from the Centre

the suspension of pendingapprovals and licences ofFacebook and Whatsapp andannounced that it will raise thematter in the Parliament’supcoming Monsoon Session.

The party claimed that ina span of just two weeks, threeseparate articles in credibleinternational media publica-tions have revealed howFacebook and WhatsApp havecolluded with the ruling BJP totarnish India’s democracy andtear India’s social harmony.

Leader of Opposition inLok Sabha Adhir RanjanChoudhary said the issue is anexample of Digital Ímperialism’by the social media.

“There was a time whenthe Britishers were an imperi-alist power, now we are goingto witness digital imperialismwhere social media will runamok in our country,”Choudhary said at AICC Pressbriefing. He was joined byAICC social media expertsPraveen Chakraborty whohead the party DataDepartment and Rohan GuptaChairman of Social Media,AICC.

He said he will be raisingthe issue in the floor of theHouse in the upcoming mon-soon session of the Parliament.“But there cannot be a discus-sion if the Government does-n’t allow it, and if their inten-tion is to save the Facebook

then they will do so”, he added.“This is the tip of the ice-

berg, Facebook India execu-tives and their top bosses in theUS are hand in glove,” healleged.

Sharpening its attackagainst the social media giantFacebook and its popular mes-saging service Whatsapp, theCongress has already demand-ed that a Joint ParliamentaryCommittee investigationshould be ordered immediate-ly and also a criminal investi-gation into the affairs ofFacebook India and the peoplenamed should be carried out.

The party demanded thatall pending approvals andlicenses for Facebook andWhatsApp be put on holduntil the investigations arecompleted and suspension ofFacebook India’s leadershipteam with immediate effectuntil the conclusion of theinvestigations.

It also said that an inquiryby the Parliamentary StandingCommittee on InformationTechnology into the activities

of all Heads of Public Policyteams of foreign technologycompanies operating in Indiaand establishing a code ofconduct should be held.

Adhir Ranjan alleged thatin the IT Standing CommitteeChairman Shashi Tharoor hadsaid that Facebook officials will

be summoned, but BJP mem-bers have tried best to stall itsince they are in majority in thecommittee.

Adhir Ranjan Choudharysaid, “Skeletons from FacebookIndia’s cupboard are tumblingout faster than our monsoonrains.”

“The article reveals howdespite questions raised byother employees in FacebookIndia and the company’s claimsof neutrality, Ankhi Das, Headof Facebook India’s public pol-icy team and her leadershipteam were arrogant and blatantin their biases,” he added.

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Former Congress chiefRahul Gandhi on Monday

accused the Modi Governmentof destroying the informalsector of the economy andcharged the BJP-led NDAGovernment with makingattempts to break this sector.

Citing “demonetisation,erratic GST and the improperpandemic related lockdown” asthree examples of govern-ment’s attempt to destroy theinformal sector that provides90 per cent jobs to people,Rahul called upon the entirecountry to unite and fightagainst this.

“The BJP Government hasattacked the informal struc-ture. There is an attempt toturn you into a slave. The gov-ernment has been attackingthe informal sector over thepast six years. I am giving you

three massive examples rightnow- Demonetisation, wrongGST and Lockdown,” Rahulsaid in a new video series onthe economy.

“Don’t think the lockdownwas unplanned. Don’t think itwas done at the last minute.The aim of these three deci-sions was to destroy our infor-mal sector,” he alleged.

He said the informal sec-tor, which comprises the poor,farmers and small traders,has a lot of money which theGovernment cannot touch.“They want to break this sec-tor and extort this moneyfrom them,” he charged.

Rahul, who has earlierdone a series of talk shows

with leading economists, saidthe effects of this attack on theinformal sector will be seensoon. “You are the ones whorun this country, You take usforward and there is a con-spiracy against you. You arebeing cheated and there is anattempt to turn you into slaves.We have to understand thisattack and the entire countryhas to unite to fight againstthis,” he said in the 4-minutevideo “Let’s talk economy”.

The former Congresspresident said in 2008, theworld was hit by an econom-ic storm and it affected theentire world, the US, Japan,China and everywhere. Hesaid in the US banks fell, cor-porations fell and companiesshut down and banks also fellin Europe, but India was unaf-fected and the UPAGovernment was in power atthe time.

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Ahead of the MonsoonSession, Rajya Sabha

Chairman M Venkaiah Naiduon Monday took stock of thepreparedness against the back-drop of Covid-19.

Naidu said the MPs shouldensure testing is done in theirown interest. TheParliamentarians will have touse face masks for 12 hours andalso whenever they speak in theHouse.

While a Covid awarenessvideo clip will be shared to MPs,the DRDO will provide a rangeof sanitisation services in theParliament.

Regarding quarantinerequirements in different Stateson return of members afterattending the Session, HomeSecretary Ajay Bhalla assuredNaidu that the matter will betaken up with States/UTs toenable travel of MPs withoutany difficulty. This issue wasdiscussed in the context ofGovernment employees on dutynot being required to undergoquarantine in the States/UTs.

Bhalla suggested that mem-bers will have to undergoCOVID test within 72 hours ofthe commencement of theSession and those coming fromdifferent parts of the countrywill have to wait for the resultsbefore undertaking travel.‘Those getting positive on

arrival in Delhi should quaran-tine themselves and those test-ing positive during the sessionshould not attend the House,”Bhalla suggested.

Responding to the query ofthe Chairman on the conse-quences of members wearingmasks for the full duration ofthe session each day, Dr.Balaram Bhargava, DG, IndianCouncil of Medical Researchclarified that wearing maskscontinuously for 12 hours isabsolutely safe. He further sug-gested that MPs may speakwhile wearing masks to mini-mize the spread of virus.

Dr. Bhargava said thatthough the seating arrange-ments in Rajya Sabha chamberand galleries have been madecomplying with physical dis-tancing norms, the MPs shouldspeak seated to avoid dispersal

of aerosols. Health Secretary Rajesh

Bhushan suggested that move-ment of MPs in the chambers ofboth the Houses may be madeunidirectional to avoid face toface interactions.

Naidu directed theSecretariat officials to ensureonly minimum movement ofpeople in the Parliament Housepremises in consultation withthe Lok Sabha Secretariat. Healso suggested that entry intothe Central Hall of Parliamentshould be limited to membersof Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabhaand that too, only when therespective House is in session.

Secretary, DefenceResearch and ChairmanDRDO Dr. Satish Reddy gavea detailed account of the sani-tization services to be provid-ed by DRDO.

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Popularly known as TheQueen of the Hills,

Mussoorie in Uttarakhand isfacing environmental hazardswith a survey pointing out thatabout 15 per cent of the regionaround the popular touristhotspot is highly susceptible tolandslides.

Like most hill townships,Mussoorie has witnessed sev-eral landslides, resulting froman increased spate of develop-mental activities, promptingthe scientists to map the land-slide susceptibility of the area.

Scientists from Dehradun-based Wadia Institute ofHimalayan Geology (WIHG)– an autonomous instituteunder the Department ofScience and Technology – car-ried out the study in Mussoorietownship and its surroundingscovering 84 square km in theLesser Himalayas.

The study could help ini-tiate a large scale landslide haz-ard, risk, and vulnerabilityassessment of the hilly town-ships in different parts ofIndia, the Ministry of Scienceand Technology said onMonday.

The scientists found thatdominant part of the areafalling under very high andhigh landslide susceptible zonelies in several settlement areas

and popular spots like KemptyFalls. These are covered byhighly fractured Krol lime-stone exhibiting slope morethan 60 degrees.

The LandslideSusceptibility Mapping (LSM)published in the Journal ofEarth System Science alsoshowed that about 29 per centof the area falls in the moder-ate landslide susceptible zoneand 56 per cent falls in low tovery low landslide susceptiblezone.

The researchers from theWIHG carried out the studyusing Geographic InformationSystem (GIS) and high-reso-lution satellite imageries.

According to theresearchers, various possiblecausative factors of landslidesin the study area include lithol-ogy, landuse-landcover, slope,aspect, curvature, elevation,road-cut drainage, and linea-ment.

The WIHG team obtainedLandslide OccurrenceFavourability Score (LOFS)for a particular class of thecausal factor of landslide andsubsequently calculated theweight of each factor of land-slide to f inally generateLandslide Susceptible Index(LSI) in GIS platform.

This has been reclassifiedinto five zones using naturalbreak criteria.

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Despite challenges due to theoutbreak of the novel coro-

navirus pandemic, the Centrehas awarded highest length ofprojects during the currentfinancial year till date as com-pared to the projects awardedduring same period in last threeyears.

As per Road TransportMinistry and National HighwaysAuthority of India (NHAI), dur-ing April to August 2020, NHAIhas awarded 26 projects of 744km length as compared to 676km in 2019-20, 368 km in fiscal2018-19 and 504 km in financialyear 2017-18. as per Ministrysources the capital cost of these26 projects is over �31,000 crore,which includes cost of civil con-struction, land acquisition, andother pre- construction activities.

NHAI has set a target ofawarding 4,500 km of highwayduring current fiscal and is like-ly to exceed the same. “Despitelockdown and prevailing situa-tion, NHAI took various initia-tives to instill confidence in thebidders of the sector. To ease theliquidity crunch and ensure cashflow to the contractors, NHAIensured that no payments aredelayed due to closure of officeand disbursed �10,000 croreduring lockdown in March 2020using digital platforms,” RoadMinistry sources said.

��0�������� ��)���������"�; <�������5=! New Delhi: The Supreme

Court on Monday (August 31)directed fugitive businessmanVijay Mallya to be present inperson before it on October 5at 2 pm, directing the UnionMinistry of Home Affairs toensure his presence in thecourtroom on that day. The top court also dismissedhis plea seeking review of the

2017 verdict which held himguilty of contempt for trans-ferring USD 40 million to hischildren in violations of courtorders.

Mallya, an accused in abank loan default case of over�9,000 crore involving hisdefunct Kingfisher Airlines, isin the United Kingdom.

Agencies

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Page 5: ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary said at AICC Press briefing. He was joined by AICC social media experts Praveen

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Aconsensus builder, trou-ble shooter and a con-

summate politician, formerPresident of India PranabMukherjee, 85, the real engineof many a CongressGovernments, particularly thelast two UPA dispensations,was perhaps the last of the oldIndira Congressmen who liveda life larger than life.

In his 51-year-old politicalcareer, Mukherjee held severalof key portfolios including thefinance, commerce, foreign anddefence before attaining thehighest Constitutional post ofpresident of India (2012-2017)when he used his vast politicalexperience to do the fine bal-ancing as the regimes changedhands from Manmohan Singhto Narendra Modi.

It is no less a complimentto Mukherjee who was a greatadmirer of Indira Gandhi thathe was described by Modi ashis father figure in 2017 when

the former demitted office ofPresident of India.

The political and adminis-trative skills of diminutivepolitician from Bengal, how-ever, missed his ultimate ambi-tion of becoming PrimeMinister twice - first in 1984after the assassination of IndiraGandhi and thereafter 2004when Congress returned topower with the unexpecteddefeat of an ‘aspiring’ AtalBihari Vajpayee.

In the first instance, he wasseen as the senior most to suc-ceed late Prime Minister butyoung Rajiv Gandhi stepped inand in 2004 his junior in politicsManmohan Singh got the spot-light with Congress Presidentfavouring the latter - a ratherdocile politician- who remainedPrime Minister for a decade.

Interestingly, Mukherjeewas Finance Minister in hisfirst stint in 1982 under Indiraand had signed the letterappointing Singh as Governorof Reserve Bank of India in the

same year!After becoming Prime

Minister Singh had acknowl-edged the pre-eminence and“better qualifications ofMukherjee” to be the PM say-ing “but he also knew that Ihave no choice in the matter.”

The son of freedom fight-ers, Mukherjee was Born inMirati, a village in WestBengal’s Birbhum district andmade his entry into theParliament in 1969, as a mem-ber of the Rajya Sabha

A parliamentarian for 37years, Mukherjee was known asa consensus-builder and playeddeft role in cementing coali-tions Governments before 2014were built on coalitions.

Mukherjee joined theCongress in the 1960s duringthe tenure of then PrimeMinister Indira who he hadalways admired as his mentorand whose photo alwaysadorned his office and home.He was often heard referringIndira’s farsightedness when-

ever he would feelGovernment(s) are run with asloppy hand, even if they are ofhis own party. He did not likemany ministers receiving YogaGuru at the Delhi airport tocourt him to the Congressduring UPA-2 and reportedlysaid “this would not happen ifit were Indira”.

In 1986, he fell out with theCongress leadership and start-ed his own political party, butreturned home two years laterto rise in the ranks.

The political rivalry betweenhim as Finance Minister andthen home Minister PChidambaram made news whenthe latter was accused of buggingformer’s office in FinanceMinistry in 2011.

A workaholic minster withan encyclopedic memory, theindispensability of the lateleader could be gauzed by thefact that in the UPA-1 andUPA-2 he headed as many as102 Groups of Minister(GOMs) and committees

(GOM). As he looked afterthese GOMs and Committees,he also shouldered responsi-bilities of leader of the RajyaSabha and the Lok Sabha.

As a President, Mukherjeerejected 18 Bills that were sentto him for assent. HisPresidency also saw him beingthe President dismissing thehighest number of 30 mercypetitions of those facing deathsentence, including that ofAfzal Guru, Yakub Menon andAjmal Kasab.

Mukherjee has also had aseat at the table of variousinternational organisations,with memberships in the IMF,the World Bank and the AsianDevelopment Bank. He alsopresided over the South AsianAssociation for RegionalCooperation on various occa-sions. A voracious reader, healso authored several booksduring his lifetime. In 2019, hewas awarded India’s highestcivilian honour, the BharatRatna, by President Ram Nath

Kovind.The hectic schedule of

Mukherjee — an out and outpolitician — would never deterhim from a good discussion onpolitics even a late night hour.Soft spoken but lose his tempereasily if conversation was not ofhis level.

Mukherjee remained quin-tessentially a Bengali till his lastdays and never lost his touchwith his village in West Bengalwhere he would go for “KaliPuja” in his traditional attire.

Less than a Week before hewent to ventilator he asked hisson Abhijit to bring jackfruitfrom his home. “I went to ourvillage, Mirati (in West Bengal’sBirbhum district)...It was aripe 25kg fruit. Gave to Babaand he was so happy”, said hisson. Mukherjee is survived byhis son and daughterSharmistha Mukherjee, also apolitician.

Mukherjee lived his life fullstretch and died full of years,honours and full of laurels.

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Had I been with him at thattime I would never have

let him meddle in Sri Lankanpolitics which finally led to hisuntimely death” at the hands ofthe LTTE. This is what depart-ed former President of IndiaPranab Mukherjee had told oneof his closest associatesSukhendu Shekhar Roy cur-rently a Trinamool CongressMember of Parliament.

Reminiscing Mukherjee’smemories Roy also said, “it wasunfortunate that he could notget the opportunity of servingIndia as its Prime Minister…”ruing further “when we talk ofBangladesh’s Nobel LaureateMd Younis and his micro-banking policy we forget thestory of Pranab da’s contribu-tion towards carrying the banksto the villagers’ doorsteps afterthe nationalization of banks …he went totally unsung there.”

He also remembered how

at the instance of then CensorBoard Chairperson SharmilaTagore he had watched his lastHindi film Rangde Basantialongwith the three serviceschief before giving his clearanceoverruling certain issues. “Hewas never unduly dogmaticand respected the truth thatwas speakable.”

“True,” another former col-league and Congress MPPradip Bhattacharjee said, “likeJyoti Basu, Pranab da was per-haps the, another best PrimeMinister India never had.”

Even as condolencespoured in as did an assortmentof memories Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee saidshe had lost a “father figure” inthe former President. Soonafter his demise she wrote “It iswith deep sorrow I write this.Bharat Ratna PranabMukherjee has left us. An erahas ended. For decades he wasa father figure. From my firstwin as MP, to being my senior

Cabinet colleague, to hisbecoming President while Iwas CM..”

She added, “So manymemories. A visit to Delhiwithout Pranab da is unimag-inable. He is a legend in all sub-jects from politics to econom-ics. Will be forever grateful.Shall miss him immensely. Mycondolences to Abhijit andSharmistha.”

From Miriti in Birbhumdistrict a close friend (refusingto share his name) said “neverwe will see him again comingto perform Durga Puja everyyear … never we will see himcoming back to Miriti … I sawhis father who was a Congressleader and a freedom fighter …I saw him throughout hiscareer… a perfect modest gen-tleman and a perfect villager inwhom the heart of Indiaresided.”

Atypical Bengali Bhadrolokwho spoke his flawless Englishthe Bengali Mukherjee’s par-

liamentary life spanned 37years, starting from 1969. At 34,he was handpicked by IndiraGandhi who brought a social-ist element in the Congress.Though Mukherjee tended toretain the socialist streak hehardly converted it into adogma.

A school teacher and a col-lege lecturer in Howrah hewent on to become thePresident of India in 2012.Earlier he held all major min-istries - finance, defense, exter-

nal affairs and commerce -besides serving as deputy chair-man of the PlanningCommission. With his pro-found knowledge of history,economics society, polity andnot least the scriptures hecould silence the Oppositionmost often than not.

He admitted of havinglearnt his art from the likes ofChitta Basu, Hiren Mukherjee,Madhu Limaye, Indrajit Gupta,Atal Behari Vajpayee, PilooModi, LK Advani and others.

Picked by Ms Gandhi inthe 1970s and dropped byRajiv Gandhi in 1985 heformed his own party with DrSisir Bose the grand nephew ofNetaji Subhas Chandra Bose.Later he rejoined the Congressand the rest is history. Hisstrong memory earned him theappellation of “computer” fromnone other than Indira Gandhi.

Cut to his residence atDhakuria at South Kolkata. Aveteran colleague Deboprosad

Mukherjee said how “a galaxyof leaders and who’s who wouldvisit him when he was inKolkata. Even BangladeshPrime Minister SK Hasina washis close friend and took hisadvice on a number of issueswe have seen then ChiefMinister BuddhadebBhattacharjee spending timediscussing important issues …and not least present ChiefMinister MamataBanerjee…He continued to dogood to others without brag-ging about that… one day hetold me how even IndiraGandhi once told him that ‘youask anything and nothingcomes out of Pranab’s mouthsave some smoke.”

Amal Mukherjee a friendand a former Principal of thePresidency College reminiscedhow “he was a man of wordand very much freedom-loving.So much so that in his bid tobecome self-reliant he hadstopped taking money from his

father while he was doing hismasters … and to keep goinghe gave private tuitions and oneof his earliest students Subhrabecame his wife.”

Talking about his magna-nimity former CPI(M) MPSamik Lahiri said, “nothingfrom big to small would evadehis eyes. I was a first time MPin Parliament and in 2004 andhe walked up to me on the veryfirst day… I was surprised.Later whenever I went up tohim for any work he would callme at his residence in thenight and listened to mepatiently … Once during aflight to Delhi I was reading abook and hand not noticedhim. But he saw me and walkedup to me. Looking at the bookhe said ‘even I am reading thesame book’. He was a genera-tion that will never come back.”

True perhaps. The genera-tion that cared for all andsundry around. When yourcorrespondent once visited him

for a pre-fixed interview at thePradesh Congress office inKolkata apprehensive that hemight turn him out for beingfull half-an-hour-late --- thanksto some traffic issues --- hesimply called him in with firstquestion and concern in hisface “bela hoyeche, kheye eshe-cho … kichu khabe (its latenoon are you hungry … willyou eat something …”

And then without waitingfor the reply ordered for somesnacks saying “I too am father”he said not for once asking forthe reason of the delay. Afterthe interview he said “do tellChandan (Dr Mitra the editor-in-chief) that I have takengood care of you. He is a goodfriend of mine.”

One remembers his respectfor the media when he said in amemorial lecture that“Democracy without a free Pressis like a blank piece of paper.”True! With Pranab Mukherjee ageneration has gone.

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Tributes poured in for BharatRatna and former President

Pranab Mukherjee after thenews of his demise came in.Leaders across the politicalspectrum, celebrities andcountless others paid theirtribute to the leader on twitter.

Pranab Mukherjee madeRashtrapati Bhavan accessibleto common citizens, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi saidon Monday as he paid his trib-ute to the former President --the “scholar par excellence anda towering statesman”.

“India grieves the passingaway of Bharat Ratna ShriPranab Mukherjee. He has leftan indelible mark on the devel-opment trajectory of ournation. A scholar par excel-lence, a towering statesman, hewas admired across the politi-cal spectrum and by all sectionsof society,” tweeted PM?Modisharing two photos with theformer President. Modi offeredcondolences to the lateCongress veteran’s family,friends, admirers and sup-porters across India and said hewill always cherish his interac-tions with Mukherjee.

“I was new to Delhi in2014. From Day 1, I was blessedto have the guidance, supportand blessings of Shri PranabMukherjee. I will always cher-ish my interactions with him.Condolences to his family,friends, admirers and sup-porters across India. OmShanti,” he tweeted.

Remembering the formerCongress leader, President RamNath Kovind said the BharatRatna awardee combined tra-dition and modernity. ‘“Sad tohear that former President ShriPranab Mukherjee is no more.His demise is passing of an era.A colossus in public life, heserved Mother India with thespirit of a sage. The nationmourns losing one of its wor-thiest sons. Condolences to

his family, friends and all citi-zens”., President Kovind tweet-ed.

Vice President M VenkaiahNaidu condoled the death, say-ing the country has lost astatesman. “Deeply saddenedby the passing away of formerPresident, Shri PranabMukherjee. The country haslost an elder statesman in hisdeath. He rose from humblebeginnings to occupy the coun-try’s highest constitutionalposition through hard work,discipline and dedication,”Naidu said.

Congress’ interim chiefSonia Gandhi wrote toSharmistha Mukherjee on thepassing away of her fatherPranab Mukherjee, saying itwas “hard to imagine how wecan do without his wisdom,experience, sage advice anddeep understanding on somany subjects”.

“His life over the past 50years mirrored 50 years of thehistory of India , for he playeda crucial role both in shapingthe course of events as well asactively participating in themwhether as a cabinet minister,parliamentarian or president ofIndia. I personally have somany warm memories of myworking with him. Pranabdahad now been released from hissuffering. May his soul rest inpeace,” she said.

Home Minister Amit Shahcondoled the death , saying thathis demise has left a huge voidin the Indian polity. “Deeplyanguished on the passing awayof former President of India,Bharat Ratna Shri PranabMukherjee ji. He was a vastlyexperienced leader who servedthe nation with utmost devo-tion. Pranab da’s distinguishedcareer is a matter of great pridefor the entire country,” theHome Minister tweeted.

Remembering Mukherjee,veteran BJP leader LK Advanisaid :”To me personally, he wasmore than a colleague and we

have shared valuable momentsboth inside and outside ourpublic lives, which extended toour families. Memories of var-ious shared lunches will alwaysbe special in my heart”.

Former Congress presi-dent Rahul Gandhi alsoexpressed his grief at the pass-ing of Pranab Mukherjee.Gandhi said in a tweet, “I jointhe country in paying homageto him. My deepest condo-lences to the bereaved familyand friends.”

Defence Minister RajnathSingh expressed grief overMukherjee’s demise. In a tweet,Singh said, “His demise is apersonal loss. He had tremen-dous knowledge of India’s his-tory, diplomacy, public policyand also defence.” Expressinggrief, Union Minister NitinGadkari said, “I am deeplysaddened by the death of for-mer President of India, BharatRatna Pranab Mukherjee. Hisdeath is a great loss for thecountry. Pranab da was a richand good friend of the greatpersonality.” He always gavepriority to the country, risingabove party politics. In thishour of grief, I express mydeepest condolences to hisfamily members. God blesshis departed soul, he added inhis tweet.

Remembering Mukherjee,RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat saidPranab Mukherjee kept nation-al interest supreme, didn’tbelieve in political untoucha-bility.

The Congress rememberedMukherjee for his “integrityand compassion”. “We aredeeply pained by the passing ofShri Pranab Mukherjee,Former President of India andone of the tallest leaders of theCongress,” the party said in atweet. “Shri Pranab Mukherjeewill always be remembered forhis integrity & compassion.Our prayers are with his fam-ily, followers and the nation.” Ina tribute to her father,

Sharmistha Mukherjee hasposted an emotional tweet,quoting his favourite poetRabindranath Tagore. She said,“Baba...I feel blessed to havebeen born as your daughter”.

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamamata Banerjee expresseddeep sorrow over the death offormer president and said withhis demise “an era has come toan end”. “It is with deep sorrowI write this. Bharat RatnaPranab Mukherjee has left us.An era has ended. For decadeshe was a father figure. From myfirst win as MP, to being mysenior Cabinet colleague, to hisbecoming President while Iwas CM,” Banerjee said in astatement released from thestate secretariat.

Odisha Chief Minister andBiju Janata Dal PresidentNaveen Patnaik said Mukherjeewill always be remembered forhis capability to bring about aconsensus on national issues.“Deeply saddened to knowabout the demise of formerPresident Pranab Mukherjee,”he said in a tweet. “Pranab Dawas a prolific reader, powerfulorator, scholar & had an unpar-alleled experience in gover-nance. He will always beremembered for his excep-tional ability to forge consen-sus on national issues.”

Bihar Chief Minister NitishKumar, his deputy SushilKumar Modi and a host ofprominent leaders of the statemourned the death of formerpresident. Expressing his griefover Mukherjee’s death, BiharChief Minister Nitish Kumar inhis condolence message calledthe former president“Ajatshatru of politics” whowas equally respected by bothruling and opposition.

Senior Congress leadersAnand Sharma, ShashiTharoor, Amarinder Singh(Punjab), Yogi Adityanath(Uttar Pradesh), Hemant Soren(Jharkhand), Biplab KumarDeb (Tripura), Shivraj Singh

Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), NBiren Singh (Manipur), ArvindKejriwal (Delhi), Manohar Lal(Haryana), Vijay Rupani(Gujarat) and SarbanandaSonowal (Assam) alsoexpressed condolences.

Union Minister and LokJanshakti Party patron RamVilas Paswan paid fond tributesto former president remem-bering him as a stalwart withdeep grasp of Indian polity whoguided politicians across theideological spectrum.

Union Ministers NarendraSingh Tomar, PrakashJavadekar, Piyush Goyal, RaviShankar Prasad, Arjun Munda,Mansukh Mandaviya, GajendraSingh Shekhawat, NirmalaSitharaman, Pralhad Joshi,Sadananda Gowda,Dharmendra Pradhan, RameshPokhriyal, Ashwini Choubey,Giriraj Singh, Jitendra Singh,Smriti Irani, Dr HarshVardhan, DharmendraPradhan, Thawarchand Gehlot,and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alsoexpressed their shock at andsaid India lost a great leaderwith Mukherjee’s demise.

Former Prime Ministerand Janata Dal (Secular) leaderHD Deve Gowda rememberedhis long association withMukherjee.

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Page 6: ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary said at AICC Press briefing. He was joined by AICC social media experts Praveen

Asplit in the Congress party seemsinevitable. Despite formal genuflec-tions before the Rae Bareli MP,

Sonia Gandhi is now only an interim pres-ident and neither offspring is acceptable asfuture president. Indeed, the CongressWorking Committee (CWC) meeting ofAugust 24, 2020, called to address an explo-sive letter by 23 top leaders, could not quashthe dissent. The shareholders announcedthat the Congress will not be allowed to runlike a family firm.

Far from urging the Wayanad MP toreturn to the helm, the seven-hour debatedeclared temporary status quo over inter-im president. The Gandhi family exposedits reluctance to relinquish control of theparty but could not deflect the charge thatis has lost appeal with voters. The processof electing a non-Gandhi president maytrigger a split as the Gandhis will not workwith, or under, a non-protégé.

The situation is vastly different fromMay 1999 when Sharad Pawar, PA Sangmaand Tariq Anwar questioned Sonia Gandhi’sforeign origins and her plan to stake claimto the Prime Minister’s office without dis-cussion within the party. Although the trioquit, their contention that a foreignerwould not be able to head a coalition wasvindicated when Gandhi selectedManmohan Singh in 2004. For a decade, shewielded enormous power over theGovernment via her unelected NationalAdvisory Council, but Narendra Modi’s vic-tory in 2014 and 2019 convinced even die-hard loyalists that the present leadership isa political liability. Rahul Gandhi’s flight toWayanad, Kerala, and Priyanka Gandhi’sfailure to make a dent in Uttar Pradeshexposed the futility of banking on non-charismatic heirs. Even Rahul Gandhi’s re-election from Wayanad seems difficult in2024.

Having spoken up because of theCongress’s descent to electoral irrelevance,the veterans will not tolerate the impositionof effete leaders (read Manmohan Singh orAK Antony). They are demanding electionsto the CWC and the party’s parliamentaryboard. There is anger that the party is runby a tiny coterie comprising the Gandhifamily, general secretary KC Venugopal andnational spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.The unilateral appointments of AdhirRanjan Chowdhury (leader, Lok Sabha),Ajay Maken (general secretary, Rajasthanin-charge), Rajya Sabha nomination forMallikarjun Kharge and Hardik Patel asworking president of the Gujarat unitshocked the rank and file.

Former spokesperson Sanjay Jha, whoseanalyses of the rot in the party brought thecrisis into the open, tweeted that under Art18 (H) of the party constitution, “only afreshly elected AICC can elect the nextCongress President. The CWC has alreadydischarged its responsibilities by appoint-ing an Interim Congress President last year.”

As the veterans reiteratedtheir concerns in the media,Sonia Gandhi opted for con-frontation. On August 27, for-mer Union Minister JairamRamesh was appointed chiefwhip (Rajya Sabha), GauravGogoi deputy leader andRavneet Singh Bittu whip (LokSabha), sidelining seniors likeShashi Tharoor and ManishTewari. The inclusion ofAhmad Patel and KCVenugopal in the 10-membercommittee appointed to decidethe party’s stand on key issuesin Parliament was a snub to vet-erans like Ghulam Nabi Azadand Anand Sharma. Now thebattle is joined and there is nogoing back for either side.

Sonia Gandhi must havebeen enraged by the demandfor unity with Opposition par-ties headed by those who hadleft the Congress in the past.This obviously alludes to a cer-tain strongman whom somebelieve has choreographed thecurrent revolt. If true, this sug-gests that the epistle wasplanned with leaders outsideCongress, with the aim of dis-lodging the once unchallenge-able Gandhis.

At the CWC, the Gandhisiblings antagonised the seniorsinstead of discussing the issuesraised by them. The WayanadMP said the letter was sent toSonia Gandhi at a time whenshe was unwell and the “partyis fighting the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) in Madhya Pradeshand Rajasthan”. This false emo-tionalism reflected lack of polit-

ical gravitas. Moreover, the BJPhad seized Madhya Pradesh inMarch itself and Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot had saved hisgovernment by August 7, whenthe letter was written.

Worse, Rahul Gandhiaccused the seniors of penningthe missive in collusion with theruling BJP. Taken aback,Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader ofOpposition, Rajya Sabha,offered to resign his post if hewas “in any manner doing thisto help the BJP or doing it at itsbehest”, only to be rebuked byPriyanka Vadra. “What youare saying is opposite of whatyou have written,” she coun-tered. Later, former Union min-ister and senior advocate KapilSibal said he had defended theparty in the Rajasthan HighCourt and helped it bring downthe BJP government inManipur, and yet “we are col-luding with the BJP.” The sharpand articulate Sibal has becomethe face of the dissidents.

Currently, the strongestsupport for Gandhi leadershipcomes from Punjab ChiefMinister Amarinder Singh(who needs them against rivalPartap Singh Bajwa), formerPrime Minister ManmohanSingh (who has never fought anelection in his life), and formerUnion minister AK Antony(who cannot bring Kerala backto the Congress kitty). MadhyaPradesh stalwart Kamal Nathhas been silent; he could emergeas the rebels’ choice of leader.

It is undeniable that all thedissidents owe their political

ascent to Gandhi family patron-age: former Union ministersGhulam Nabi Azad, AnandSharma, Kapil Sibal, ManishTewari, Shashi Tharoor, MukulWasnik, Renuka Chaudhary,Milind Deora and Jitin Prasada;former Chief MinistersBhupinder Singh Hooda(Haryana), Rajender KaurBhattal (Punjab), M VeerappaMoily (Karnataka), andPrithviraj Chavan(Maharashtra); PJ Kurian (for-mer deputy chairman, RajyaSabha), MP Vivek Tankha; for-mer PCC chiefs Raj Babbar(UP), Arvinder Singh Lovely(Delhi) and Kaul Singh Thakur(Himachal); current Bihar cam-paign chief Akhilesh PrasadSingh, former Haryana SpeakerKuldeep Sharma; former DelhiSpeaker Yoganand Shastri andformer MP Sandeep Dixit.

Few of them have anassured electoral base. But theissues they have raised are apolitical audit of the leadershipand suggest wider consultationswithin and outside theCongress. The high commandis being held responsible for theparty’s downfall in State afterState. The demand for collectiveleadership is an indictment ofthe opaque micro-managementthat has distanced the leader-ship from the party and publicopinion on a range of issues.The quest for an “effective”leader suggests the compulso-ry retirement of the reigningdynasty – a bloodless coup.

(The author is a senior jour-nalist. Views are personal.)

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Sir — The spike in COVID-19cases has not only shrunk thespace for non-COVID patientsbut also forced many people topostpone their elective and semi-emergency operations. Doctorshave said that elective surgerieslike hernia, asymptomatic kidneystones, appendicitis, gall bladderand prostate can be postponedby up to three months whilesemi-emergency cases cannotbe postponed and patients wouldbe deferring them at their ownperil. However, hundreds ofoperations have been postponedas patients are scared of under-going surgeries or taking treat-ments in any hospital whereCoronavirus patients are housed.This has resulted in severe healthcomplications for many of them.Giving an example of how dan-gerous deferring a much-need-ed operation can be, Dr JagadishHiremath, CEO, Ace SuhasHospital, revealed that a patientwho had postponed a gall blad-der surgery had to undergo anemergency procedure for sepsisafter the gall bladder ruptured. An elective surgery in this par-ticular case turned into a com-

plicated emergency procedure tosave the patient. Hence, there isa major need to address the con-cerns of patients as they areafraid of undergoing

surgery/treatments. TheGovernment needs to provide orcreate more COVID-19 patient-free hospitals or set up dedicat-ed wings in existing ones so that

other patients can take treatmentand undergo surgeries and notput their lives at risk.

KV SeetharamaiahHassan, Karnataka

� ��������������Sir — The shocking statementmade by Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman that God isresponsible for the Coronavirusand the collapse of the Indianeconomy is most irresponsible.It is a great insult to the intelli-gence of the entire country. Thepeople, through their hard workand contribution towards theprogress and development ofthe country, made India a $2 tril-lion economy during the UPArule from 2005 to 2014, underthe leadership of Prime MinisterManmohan Singh.

The economic problems thatthe country is facing now are dueto the inefficiency and incompe-tence of the CentralGovernment. Growth was sput-tering even before the pandem-ic broke out and there has beenno big bang reform so to speak.It is high time the FinanceMinister stops trying to cover herGovernment’s failures in all sec-tors, including COVID-19 man-agement.

Bhagwan ThadaniMumbai

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recom-mended to the Centre a reduction in share-holding of the latter in six top Public Sector

Banks (PSBs), namely the State Bank of India (SBI),Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of Baroda(BOB), Canara Bank, Union Bank of India (UBI)and Bank of India (BOI) to 51 per cent in the next12-18 months. At a recent meeting with theMinistry of Finance (MOF), the RBI had argued forreduction in stake to 26 per cent. But, observing thatthis might not be possible in the near term for now,it has settled for lowering the Government’s share-holding to 51 per cent. Given its precarious finan-cial position and looking for all possible avenues forincreasing revenue, the Narendra Modi Governmenthas promptly latched on to the idea. It is aiming togarner about �25,000 crore by shedding its stake inthe six banks which could even go up to �43,000crore (according to an estimate).

The PSBs in question have already started gear-ing up for this as they have decided not to take anylumpy credit exposure and are taking steps to reducetheir non-performing assets (NPAs) by one-third bythe end of the current financial year March 31, 2021— all aimed at improving their valuation and get-ting a good price from the sale. The Centre(besides, the RBI) is closely monitoring the situa-tion. At the end of the day, it may re-fill its denud-ed coffers somewhat. But the larger question stillremains unanswered.

Is the Modi Government really serious aboutbringing down its stake in PSBs to as low as 26 percent? Is it committed to their privatisation? Does ithave anything credible to show? The idea was firstmooted by the NDA dispensation under the thenPrime Minister AB Vajpayee (1999-2004). It had pro-posed reduction in the Government’s shareholdingin PSBs to less than 50 per cent initially and even-tually to 33 per cent. That remained on paper.

In 2015, a RBI committee headed by P Nayakmade sweeping recommendations to bring aboutstructural reforms of PSBs in sync with the require-ments of an economy on an accelerated growth tra-jectory and to make it globally competitive. It rec-ommended (i) setting up of an autonomous BankBoards Bureau (BBB) with a mandate to select thetop management; (ii) setting up of a bank invest-ment company (BIC) where all Government sharesin PSBs will be vested and (iii) divestment of its share-holding in all PSBs to below 50 per cent.

The committee had contemplated the Board asan interim arrangement — to serve as a precursorto the BIC. In 2016, the Government approved theconstitution of the BBB as a body of eminent pro-fessionals and officials to make recommendationsfor appointment of whole-time directors and non-executive chairpersons of PSBs and State-ownedfinancial institutions (FIs). The BBB was also man-dated to engage with the board of directors of all PSBsto formulate appropriate strategies for their growthand development besides, encouraging them torestructure their business strategy and suggest waysfor their consolidation and merger with other banksbased on requirement. Initially headed by Vinod Rai,former Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) tillApril 2018, the BBB has been under a part-timechairman (a retired bureaucrat) and other part-timemembers. Recently, the term of the BBB was extend-ed for a period of two years beyond April 11 or untilfurther orders, whichever is earlier. How muchimportance does the Government give to the BBB?

Being headed by a part-time chairmanand part-time members, this by itself con-veys a lot. On the other two recommen-dations, while (ii) is not even on the radar,as regards (iii), the only action seen thusfar is the Government’s decision to divestits majority stake in IDBI Bank.

But things didn’t work out as plannedand during 2018-19, the Life InsuranceCorporation (LIC) was roped in toacquire 51 per cent controlling stake inIDBI Bank. The acquisition was complet-ed on January 21, 2019 with LIC being re-classified as promoter of the bank withmanagement control and the Centrecontinuing to be the co-promoter with-out management control. While it is nor-mal to see LIC in the role of a financialinvestor, for it to be owning and runninga business enterprise is anomalous.

Meanwhile, most of the ills that gowith majority ownership of theGovernment continue to afflict PSBs. Thepolitical brass appoints the CMD/MD anddeputes bureaucrats as its nominee on thebank board. For appointment of directors,until last year, the nomination and remu-neration committee (NRC) included theCentre’s nominee. In August, 2019, theRBI tightened the fit-and-proper criteriato exclude him/her. But, this is only cos-metic with CMD and MOF nominee —both handpicked by the Government —calling the shots when it comes to takingpolicy decisions or even in its day-to-dayrunning.

In the past, meddling in the affairs ofthe PSBs took the form of what came tobe known as the cult of “crony capitalism.”The businessmen patronised by the rul-ing establishment managed loans onconsiderations other than merit and gotthem ever-greened (taking a new loan topay back the earlier one). Neither thebanks insisted on repayment, nor the

defaulters had any sense of fear as thosewho were expected to take action chosenot to act. The political brass also rides pig-gyback on PSBs for absorbing liabilitiescreated by populist policies such as sup-plying power to farmers and householdsat subsidised rates (or even free in someStates).

Be it a spate of bailout packages givento power distribution companies (fourbailouts have been granted so far) or loanwaiver given to farmers and now mora-torium on loan repayment extended to alland sundry, all have inflicted heavy loss-es on PSBs.

No wonder the country is grapplingwith high NPAs. In March 2018, grossNPAs (GNPAs) had reached a high 11.5per cent (14.5 per cent for PSBs). Thesedeclined to 8.5 per cent as of March; cour-tesy a number of measures, including res-olution of accounts under the Insolvencyand Bankruptcy Code (IBC). But the ratiomay worsen to 12.5 per cent by March2021 under the optimistic baseline sce-nario (14.7 per cent under a severely-stressed one). For PSBs, it would be muchhigher at 15.2 per cent (16.3 per cent underseverely-stressed).

The Government has put investiga-tion and prosecution agencies in top gearto nab fraudsters and the Prime Ministeris allegedly against “crony capitalism.” Butthese exhortations and central agenciesseen in action mode do not seem to beyielding the desired result. The proof ofthe pudding is in eating. To get a sense,we only need to look at the value of bankfrauds in recent years. During 2014-15 and2015-16, the value of bank frauds was�17,000 crore each. During 2016-17 and2017-18, this went up to �20,500 crore and�22,500 crore respectively. Thereafter, thevalue galloped to �64,000 crore during2018-19 and further to �110,000 crore

during the first six months of 2019-20. The message is loud and clear. The ail-

ments afflicting PSBs won’t go away solong as majority ownership and controlremain with the Government. There is adire need to unshackle them and grantautonomy to the management. The RBI’srecommendation that the Government’sstake in six PSBs be reduced to 51 per centwon’t achieve the desired objective. To getthe intended results, the NayakCommittee’s prescription should be adopt-ed in totality.

The Government should set up a BICwith eminent professionals as members.While the position of chairman should goto a professional, the member-secretarycan be drawn from the bureaucracy. Allof the shareholding of the Centre in allPSBs should be transferred to the BIC.

The company should be given neces-sary authority to take all decisions onbehalf of the sovereign Government andallowed to work with full autonomy — atarm’s length from the latter.

The BIC should guide the manage-ment of individual banks to improve theirworking, prepare the roadmap for divest-ment of majority ownership and controland see through its execution. It shoulddetermine the timing of sale so as to realisemaximum value. The shares should be sodistributed as to avoid concentration in afew hands and ensure greater accountabil-ity to the public.

It is also crucial for the RBI tostrengthen its “supervision” over banks toguard against irregularities and misman-agement to prevent the fiasco of the kindwe have seen in the case of Yes Bank —a private bank. It should maintain strictvigil over the auditors to ensure that theydo their job diligently.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based pol-icy analyst)

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India is a democracy with a federalstructure. There are elaborate pro-visions in the Constitution for the

Centre and States with regard to theirrespective financial, administrative andlegislative powers. The legislative pow-ers are distributed through ScheduleVII of the Constitution, which providesthree lists. While List I contains mat-ters on which the Union Governmentcan exclusively legislate, List II enumer-ates matters on which StateGovernments can legislate and List III,which is called the Concurrent List,contains matters on which both, theUnion and State Governments may leg-islate.

Agriculture, with all its associat-ed ancillary and subsidiary enterpris-es, including education and research,livestock, fisheries, irrigation and so on

is a State subject. Markets and fairs arealso a State subject as per Entry 28 ofthe State list.

In its characteristic “shock and awe”style, the Centre has promulgatedthree Ordinances viz. The Farmer’sProduce Trade and Commerce(Promotion and Facilitation)Ordinance, The Farmer’s(Empowerment and Protection)Agreement on Price Assurance andFarm Services Ordinance and TheEssential Commodities (Amendment)Ordinance.

Prima facie the first two ordinancesdo not seem to come under the domainof the Union Government. It is Entrynumber 33 of the Concurrent Listwhich is presumably put to use by theUnion Government for promulgatingthem. Entry 33 is being reproducedbelow for better understanding of theissue: “Trade and commerce in, and theproduction, supply and distribution ofthe products of any industry where thecontrol of such industry by the Unionis declared by Parliament by law to beexpedient in the public interest, andimported goods of the same kind assuch products; foodstuffs, includingedible oil seeds and oils; cattle fodder,including oilcakes and other concen-

trates; raw cotton whether ginned orunginned, and cotton seeds; and rawjute.”

The sub-entries on foodstuff rightup till raw jute were introduced by wayof a third amendment to theConstitution in 1955. There is a histo-ry and background to the third amend-ment by which the scope of Entry 33of List III was enlarged. Trade and com-merce within the State and production,supply and distribution of goods werethe matters enumerated in the provin-cial list as per the Government of IndiaAct, 1935. Even now these matters arein the State list under Entry 26 and 27.Therefore, it is needless to say that theyare essentially State subjects.

However, due to the World War-II, emergency was declared and theCentral legislature acquired the powerto legislate on these matters. When theemergency was lifted, the power to leg-islate on these matters was sought to beretained by the Dominion Governmentdue to the prevailing circumstances andscarcity of essential items. TheDominion Government also enactedThe Essential Supplies (Temporary)Powers Act, 1946 (hereinafter referredto as Act of 1946) to handle the situa-tion. The Constituent Assembly, with

a view to carry on with the arrange-ment, inserted Article 369 as a tempo-rary provision in the Constitution fora period of five years from the date ofcommencement of the Constitution.Article 369 and the Act of 1946 wereto expire on January 26, 1955.

However, the situation of food arti-cles and other essential supplies in thecountry was still precarious and themenace of hoarding and black market-ing was still there. So, with a view tocontinue the arrangement allowingthe Centre to legislate on trade, com-merce and production, supply and dis-tribution of essential commodities,four sub-entries were introduced inEntry 33 by way of the third amend-ment to the Constitution.

Alongside, The EssentialCommodities Act, 1955 was also enact-ed. Therefore, it was the space cededby Article 369 of the Constitution andAct of 1946, which in fact came to beoccupied by the amended Entry 33 inList III and The Essential CommoditiesAct, 1955 (ECA). The amended Entry33 and ECA principally equipped theUnion Government to tackle the scarci-ty of essential articles, hoarding, black-marketing, irrational price rise and suchsituations in the country and were never

meant to be used generally. With theFarmers’ Produce Trade andCommerce (Promotion andFacilitation) Ordinance, the UnionGovernment has taken control of theentire intra-State sale and purchase ofall the agricultural produce and hasactually trampled upon the matterswhich are State subjects.

So far as the Farmers(Empowerment and Protection)Agreement on Price Assurance andFarm Services Ordinance is concerned,which basically provides legal structurefor contract farming, the same ineffect directly deals with the productionin the agriculture sector which, in everyrespect, is a State subject. The interpre-tation, which the Centre has given tosub-entries of Entry 33 of List III, isnovel. The Union has tried to use Entry33 as a standalone provision and it con-veniently ignored the context, objectand background of the sub-entries forthe reasons which are other than unin-tended. The Ordinance route makes theintentions of the Centre only more sus-pect.

An observation made by theSupreme Court in the case of SRBommai Vs Centre is a compellingreminder for respecting the federal

structure of the Constitution andwhich reads as thus: “The fact thatunder the scheme of our Constitution,great power is conferred upon theCentre vis-à-vis the States does notmean that States are mere appendagesof the Centre. With the sphere allottedto them, States are supreme. TheCentre cannot tamper with their pow-ers. More particularly, the courts shouldnot adopt an approach, an interpreta-tion, which has the effect of or tends tohave the effect of whittling down thepowers reserved to the States.”

Consequently, the first two of thethree Ordinances mentioned abovehave certainly encroached upon theState subjects and it is a colourable exer-cise of jurisdiction by the UnionGovernment.

It is not a case where a Central leg-islation incidentally trenched upon asubject in the State list but a case wherethe Centre has blatantly usurped sub-jects which are essentially State matters.The action by the Union Governmentis surely not in the spirit of federalism,which has been held to be one of thebasic features of the Constitution by theSupreme Court.

(The writer is a practising advocatein Punjab and Haryana High Court)

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Abu Dhabi/Jerusalem: In ahistoric step towards peace inthe Middle East, the first com-mercial direct flight betweenIsrael and the UAE landed inAbu Dhabi on Monday afterboth countries announced nor-malisation of relations.

The flight carried a toplevel Israeli delegation led byNational Security Adviser MeirBen Shabbat while the US del-egation was headed by USPresident Donald Trump’sadviser and son-in-law JaredKushner and US NationalSecurity Adviser Robert

O’Brien.The delegation left aboard

the commercial El Al flight 971that took off from Ben Gurionairport in Tel Aviv at 11.21amlocal time. The word peace waspainted on it in Arabic, Englishand Hebrew above a cockpitwindow.

“We just completed a trulyhistoric flight. This hopefullywill be the first of many,”Kushner said after disembark-ing from the flight.

He thanked leadership onboth sides on the occasion.Saudi Arabia granted permis-

sion for the use of its airspace.

“Peace overwhelminglydesired by the people, exceptby those who exploit misery toremain in power. Futurebelongs to industrious peopleof the region,” Kushner said.

Israel and the UAEannounced on August 13 thatthey were establishing full

diplomatic relations, in a US-brokered deal that requiredIsrael to suspend its plan toannex parts of the West Bank.

UAE is only the third Arabcountry to establish diplomat-ic ties with the Jewish state.Israel’s neighbours, Egypt andJordan, being the other twoArab states to recognise theJewish state. PTI

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Thailand’s government hasdecided to delay the pur-

chase of two submarines fromChina, withdrawing its requestto parliament to include thesum for an initial payment inthe fiscal year 2021 nationalbudget.

Government spokesmanAnucha Burapachaisriannounced on Monday that

Prime Minister PrayuthChan-ocha, who concurrent-ly serves as defence minister,had told the navy to delay the22.5 billion baht (USD 723million) purchase until fiscalyear 2022.

The government hadsought to have 3.375 billionbaht (USD 108 million )included in the 2021 budget tocover the first of seven annualinstallment payments.

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After suffering huge lossesduring the recent anti ter-

rorist operations in theKashmir valley, ‘unidentified’terrorists on Monday targetedan army convoy moving fromBaramulla towards Srinagarbut failed to hit the target.

At least seven civilians pass-ing through the area receivedinjuries after the grenade hurledby the terrorists missed the tar-get and exploded in the middleof the road near AzadgunjBridge area of Baramulla.

CCTV footage of the spotrevealed the grenade hadexploded seconds after the lastvehicle of an army convoy waspassing through the bridge.Large number of civilians were

also seen running in differentdirections after the grenadeblast.

It is after a long gap, ter-rorist handlers have attemptedto directly target an army con-voy in Baramulla.

All the recent strikes wereaimed at either CRPF or Jammu& Kashmir police personnel.

According to a Jammu &Kashmir police spokesman,“the grenade attack on an Armyconvoy was reported inBaramulla around 1.15 pm inwhich seven civilians receivedinjuries on Monday”.

All the injured were shiftedto the hospital for the treatmentof their injuries, the spokesmanadded. In another importantdevelopment, the joint teams ofJammu and Kashmir police

and Army RR unit in Reasiclaimed to have busted a LETrevival plan in Mahore area.

So far three Over groundworkers including a governmentteacher have been arrested bythe police and interrogated byvarious other intelligence agen-cies at a Joint Interrogation cen-tre. Addressing a press confer-ence on Monday, SSP ReasiRashmi Wazir said, we havebusted a plan of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) based in Pakistan torevive its network in Jammu andKashmir’’s Reasi district andhave arrested its three OGW’s.

SSP Reasi said, these “over-ground workers” were in con-tact with their Pakistani handler(LeT) Mohd Qasim of Mahorewho had exfiltrated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2002.

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During this corona pan-demic, infected patients

are getting commendable helpfrom their neighbours.Neighbours are not only pro-viding moral strength topatients but also providing allthe necessary items of daily liv-ing because the administration’sapproach in meeting the dailyneeds of home-isolated patientsis disappointing.

The most dangerous situ-ation is that the health depart-ment has neither provided anyemergency numbers nor theessential medicines to covidpatients to prevent infection.

Communicable diseasespecialist Dr. Devendra Kumarhas been sent from Lucknow toAligarh to take some additionalsteps towards the prevention ofcovid infection. Dr. DevendraKumar visited the homes of the

corona-infected patients toinspect the arrangements donefor corona prevention. A fewdays ago, after thoroughlyinspecting the condition andarrangements in the house ofsix patients, he had submittedhis report to the Director-General, Medical HealthServices, Lucknow, and CMO.

He said that we inspectedon various criteria includingPresence of Isolation Poster –Posters found on 5 out of 6houses and a poster of onehouse was torn down,Emergency number to patients– the emergency number wasnot provided to 3 out of 6 hous-es, Number of close contactand status of their health – dif-ferent numbers in all houses,Medicine for prevention ofinfection (HCQS / ivermectin)– No medicine was given in anyhouse for the prevention ofinfection.

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Deciding to look rightthrough the Centre’s direc-

tive depriving the States thepower to impose lockdownpost August, the BengalGovernment has decided tocontinue with its pre-announced lockdown schedulesin the month of September.

A senior Home Ministryofficial on Monday said that“there is no change in the lock-down schedules and the Statewill go ahead with it in themonth of September.”

Before the Centre’sannouncement taking back thepower of declaring lockdownsfrom the State Governmentsduring Unlock 4, ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee haddeclared that the State willhave lockdowns — to break thecorona chain — on September

7, 11 and 12. “The Government is stick-

ing to the decision and every-thing will be closed as decided,”the official said adding theMetro Railways which wasscheduled to start running fromSeptember 7 will now run fromSeptember 8.

The Chief Public RelationOfficer of the Kolkata MetroRailways Indrani Banerjee,however, said that “all decisionswill be taken after we receive

guidelines from the UnionHome Ministry.”

The State Government,however, have decided to helpfacilitate transportation of stu-dents appearing for theJEE/NEET examinations on thespecific dates in September. “Therespective department have beendirected to run maximum pos-sible buses and other transportsincluding autos and taxis toferry the students,” a TranportDepartment official said.

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Beijing: Chinese ForeignMinister Wang Yi on Mondaywarned that anyone challengingthe ‘one-China’ policy will paya heavy price as he termed a topCzech Republic official’s visit toTaiwan as a provocation andshort-sighted move.

The Chinese government isunder increased pressure overTaiwan after the recent visit ofUS Health Service SecretaryAlex Azar to Taipei, the firsthigh-ranking American officialto visit the estranged islandwhich China claims as part of itsmainland.

Azar, who is the highest-ranking Cabinet member tovisit Taiwan since the USswitched diplomatic recogni-tion to Beijing from Taipei in1979, visited Taiwan in the sec-ond week of this month and metTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a staunch proponent ofTaiwan’s independence fromChina.

Azar’s visit was regarded asthe major diplomatic setback forBeijing which asserts that the‘one-China’ policy constitutesthe core of its foreign policyrecognised by all the countrieswhich have established diplo-matic relations with it.

After Azar, Czech RepublicSenate Speaker Milos Vystrcilstarted his visit to Taiwan fromSunday, ignoring Beijing’s priorwarnings and met top Taiwaneseofficials.

China’s state-run GlobalTimes said Vystrci went aheadwith the visit despite the oppo-sition from the Czech presidentMilos Zeman.

Wang, who was in Germanyon Monday as part of his visit tothe European Union countries,said Beijing will not tolerate theviolation of its one-China poli-cy. He said that anyone whochallenges the one-China prin-ciple will pay a heavy price, refer-ring to the Czech senate speak-

er’s Taiwan visit, the report said.Wang said Taiwan is an

inalienable part of the Chineseterritory, noting that to challengethe one-China principle over theTaiwan issue is to make anenemy of 1.4 billion Chinesepeople and is a violation of inter-national trust and conduct.

Calling Vystrcil’s visit toTaiwan a provocation, Wangstressed that the Chinese gov-ernment and people will not sitidly when challenged by the anti-China power and will let himpay a heavy price for the short-sighted move and political spec-ulation.

Responding to questionson Wang’s remarks, ChineseForeign Ministry spokesmanZhao Lijian told a media brief-ing here on Monday that theanti-China forces in the Czechrepublic deliberately impingeupon China’ sovereignty andblatantly interfere in China’sinternal affairs. PTI

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Vilnius (Lithuania): The threeBaltic countries on Mondayslapped their own travel sanc-tions on 30 top officials inBelarus, including PresidentAlexander Lukashenko, inresponse to a brutal crackdownagainst protesters who say theAug. 9 presidential election inBelarus was rigged.

Those on the list are bannedfrom entering Lithuania, Latviaand Estonia, according to thedocument signed by the threeBaltic nations’ interior ministers.“New people will be added to thelist in the future.” said LithuanianPresident Gitanas Nauseda.

The move comes as the EUis planning its own sanctions listof up to 20 senior Belarus offi-cials suspected of election fraudand the crackdown on protest-ers and is likely to putLukashenko on that list at somepoint. All three Baltic nations aremembers of the EU. AP

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Beirut: Lebanon’s president isholding consultations withheads of parliamentary blocs todesignate a new prime ministerfor the crisis-stricken country,with a career diplomat poised towin the job on Monday.

Lebanon’s ambassador toGermany, Mustapha Adib, wasexpected to be named as primeminister-designate and asked to

form a new government afterwinning the backing of majorparties, including the crucialsupport of senior politiciansfrom his own Sunni Muslimcommunity.

The consultations werebeing held hours beforeFrench President EmmanuelMacron was due to arrive fora two day-visit. AP

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The rupee stalled its three-session winning run on

Monday, sliding 21 paise to73.60 against the US dollar afterfresh tensions along the India-China border dented forexmarket sentiment.

At the interbank forex mar-ket, the domestic unit openedon a strong note at 73.26 butlost momentum as the tradeprogressed and finally ended at73.60 against the greenback,down 21 paise over its previousclose of 73.39.

During the session, thelocal unit witnessed an intra-day high of 73.25 and a low of73.80 against the US dollar.

Besides, weak macro-eco-nomic data suggesting a longroad to recovery also broughtthe rupee under pressure.

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The National HighwaysAuthority of India (NHAI)

on Monday said it has award-ed projects worth �31,000 crorein the first five months of thecurrent fiscal year, despite chal-lenges posed by the Covid-19pandemic.

A total of 26 projects forbuilding 744 km length ofhighways were awarded duringthe April-August period of thisfiscal, the NHAI said in astatement.

“Despite challenges due tothe outbreak of the novel coro-

navirus pandemic, the NHAIhas awarded highest length ofprojects during FY 2020-21 tilldate as compared to the pro-jects awarded during sameperiod in last three years.

“During April to August2020, the NHAI has awarded26 projects of 744 km length ascompared to 676 km in FY2019-20, 368 km in FY-2018-19 and 504 km in FY 2017-18,”it said in a statement.

Capital cost of these 26projects is over �31,000 crore,which includes cost of civilconstruction, land acquisitionand other pre-constructionactivities, it said.

The NHAI said it has set atarget of awarding 4,500 km ofhighwayprojects during thecurrent fiscal and is likely toexceed the same.

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The Union Government’sfiscal deficit overshot the

budget target for the currentfinancial year within fourmonths (April-July), mainlyon account of the impact oflockdown on revenue collec-tions.

According to the datareleased by the ControllerGeneral of Accounts (CGA),fiscal deficit during April-Julywas at 103.1 per cent of theannual target or at �8,21,349crore.

It stood at 77.8 per cent ofthe annual target during thecorresponding period of lastfiscal.

Fiscal deficit, which refersto the difference betweenexpenditure and revenue, had

overshot the annual target inOctober last year.

The Government hadpegged the fiscal deficit for2020-21 at �7.96 lakh crore or3.5 per cent of the GDP in thebudget presented by FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamanin February.These figures, how-ever, have to be revised signif-icantly in view of the econom-ic disruptions created by theoutbreak of coronavirus.TheGovernment had imposed anationwide lockdown fromMarch 25 to prevent the spreadof Covid-19 pandemic. Theeconomy was opened up grad-ually after the lockdown.

Fiscal deficit had soared toa seven-year high of 4.6 percent of Gross DomesticProduct (GDP) in 2019-20,mainly on account of poor

revenue realisation, whichdipped further towards theend of March because of lock-down. As per the CGA data,Government’s revenue receiptsstood at �2,27,402 crore or 11.3per cent of the BudgetEstimates (BE). During thesame period of last fiscal, therealisation was at 19.5 per centof the BE.Tax revenue stood at�2,02,788 crore or 12.4 per centof BE during the first fourmonths of the fiscal. During thecorresponding period of thelast fiscal, the tax revenue wasat 20.5 per cent of BE.

The Government’s totalreceipts were at 10.4 per cent ofBE or �2,32,860 crore. In theBudget, the Government hadestimated thetotal receipts forthe fiscal at Rs 22.45 lakhcrore.

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Retail inflation for industri-al workers eased marginal-

ly to 5.33 per cent in Julycompared to 5.98 per cent inthe same month last year,mainly due to lower prices ofcertain food items.

“Year-on-year inflationbased on all-items stood at 5.33per cent for July 2020 as com-pared to 5.06 per cent for theprevious month (June 2020)and 5.98 per cent during thecorresponding month (July2019) of the previous year,” alabour ministry statement said.

The food inflation stood at6.38 per cent in July, comparedto 5.49 per cent in the previousmonth and 4.78 per cent dur-ing the same period a year ago,it added.

The All-India CPI-IW

(consumer price index forindustrial workers) for July2020 increased by 4 points to336. On one-month percentagechange, it increased by 1.20 percent between June and July2020 compared to 0.95 per centrise in the same period the pre-vious year.

The data showed that themaximum upward movementin the current index came fromhousing group, contributing(+) 2.28 percentage points tothe total change.

The food index furtheraccentuated the overall indexby (+) 1.77 percentage points.

At item level, wheat atta,mustard oil, milk (Buffalo),green chillies, brinjal, gourd,palak, parval, potato, tomato,snack saltish, cooking gas, fire-wood, bus fare, petrol, tailoringcharges, etc are responsible for

the increase in index.However, this rise was

checked by rice, fish fresh,goat meat, poultry (chicken),lemon, etc, putting downwardpressure on the index.

At centre level, Jamshedpurrecorded the maximumincrease of 36 points followedby Haldia (23 points),Tiruchirapally (13 points),Kodarma and Faridabad (12points each), Srinagar (11points), Lucknow and Doom-Dooma Tinsukia (10 pointseach).

Among others, 8 pointsincrease was observed in 2centres, followed by 7 pointsin 5 centres, 6 points in 8 cen-tres, 5 points in 7 centres, 4points in 10 centres, 3 pointsin 9 centres, 2 points in 9 cen-tres and 1 point in another 9centres.

Mumbai: Dharavi residentshave decided to intensify theiragitation following the stateGovernment’s plan to invitefresh bids for the redevelop-ment of the Asia’s largest slum.

The core team of theDharavi RedevelopmentCommittee, a federation of 52associations of residents, hasalready taken a decision toapproach the court against thegovernment’s stand, itsPresident Raju Korde said.

“We are yet to receive anofficial communication fromthe Government, but if the stateis rethinking about its decision,then we will intensify our agi-tation. We will be holdinganother meeting on September3 with rest of the members todecide our next course ofaction,” he said.

Last year, former chiefMinister Devendra Fadnavishad sought state advocate gen-eral’s opinion on whether to gofor retendering after the Govtpurchased the 45 acre land par-cel at Matunga which was to beincluded in the project. Theopinion was sought after the

Dharavi RedevelopmentAuthority, the special purposevehicle appointed to imple-ment the project had issued aletter of intent to Dubai-basedSeclink TechnologiesCorporation, which was the�7,500 crore, while the secondbid from Adani was lower at�4,529 crore.The AG had rec-ommended inviting fresh bidsfor the project, which hasalready seen a delay of 16years. According to reports, thegovernment has accepted therecommendations of theAdvocate General and is plan-ning to invite fresh bids for theproject. “We are unable tounderstand why the opinion (ofAG) was sought when the landparcel in question was verymuch a part of the bid docu-ment. While bidding, we knewthat the bidder will have to bearthe cost of land acquisition,while the deal was to be sealedby the state and the railwayauthority. That is the reasonwhy we had submitted a high-er bid,” Seclink Group chair-man and MD Nilang Shahsaid. PTI

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Reliance Jio on Mondayannounced new plans for

JioFiber broadband starting atmonthly price of �399 with nolimit on data usage.

As per the new plans,entertainment app Netflix isadded to the bouquet of bun-dled apps for customers sub-scribing mid-range plans.

The plans will be rolled outfrom September 1 onwards,Reliance Jio said in a statement.

“We want to take Fiber toeach and every home andempower every member of the

family. After making India the

largest and the fastest growingcountry in mobile connectivi-ty with Jio, JioFiber will propelIndia into global broadbandleadership, thereby providingbroadband to over 1,600 citiesand towns,” Jio Director AkashAmbani said.

The low-end plan of �399will offer download and uploadspeed of 30 megabit per second(mbps), according to the state-ment.

“JioFiber Home tariff planswill now offer truly unlimitedinternet,” the statement said.

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Contracting for the fifthconsecutive month, the

output of eight core infra-structure sectors dropped by9.6 per cent in July due todecline mostly in production ofsteel, refinery products andcement.The production of eightcore sectors had expanded by2.6 per cent in July 2019,showed data released by theCommerce and IndustryMinistry on Monday. Barringfertiliser, all seven sectors - coal,crude oil, natural gas, refineryproducts, steel, cement andelectricity -- recorded negativegrowth in July.The rate of con-traction in the sectors, howev-er, has come down from 37.9per cent in April.

The output of steel, refin-ery products, cement, natural

gas, coal, crude oil and elec-tricity declined by 16.5%, 13.9%, 13.5 %, 10.2%, 5.7%, 4.9%and 2.3%, respectively. On theother hand, the fertiliser sectoroutput grew by 6.9 per centduring the month under reviewas against 1.5 per cent rise inJuly 2019.During April-July2020-21, the sector’s outputdipped by 20.5 per cent as com-pared to a growth of 3.2 percent in the same period previ-ous year.

Commenting on thenumbers, ICRA Ltd PrincipalEconomist Aditi Nayar saidthat based on the availabletrends for the core sector, autoproduction and merchandiseexports, “we expect the con-traction inthe Industrial Indexof Production to ease to 7-11per cent in July 2020 from 16.6per cent in June 2020”.

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Markets regulator Sebi hasrefused to extend the

September 1 deadline to imple-ment the new rules on marginpledge, stock brokers’ associa-tion Anmi said on Monday.

The new mechanism isaimed at bringing transparen-cy and preventing brokeragesfrom misusing clients’ securi-ties.

The decision was takenafter Sebi’s meeting with stockbrokers’ association, deposito-ries and clearing corporations.The meeting was held toanalyse readiness to imple-ment the new norms.

Sebi had come out with thenorms in February and wasscheduled to come into effectfrom June 1. It was extended toAugust 1 and thereafter toSeptember 1.

According to sources, the

regulator has refused to extendthe September 1 deadline, asdepositories are ready to imple-ment the new mechanism.

However, Association ofNational Exchanges Membersof India (Anmi), a grouping ofaround 900 stock brokers fromacross the country, on Fridayurged Sebi to extend the imple-mentation of the new mecha-nism on margin pledge by onemonth till September 30, citingseveral challenges faced bymarket participants.

Besides, back office ven-dors group has not given 100per cent clearance to membersto launch the new process, ithad added.

“In today’s virtual meeting,Sebi’s declined to grant exten-sion of further time in imple-menting marginpledge/repledge process. Thismi and its 900 members. Anmiis holding consecutive meetings

with all stakeholders and study-ing all options available to it inthe matter,” a spokesperson ofAnmi said.

The brokers associationhad requested for the co-exis-tence of the current systems oftitle transfer, and the proposedpledge system till September30.

However, Securities andExchange Board of India (Sebi)in July had said that tradingmembers (TMs) or clearingmembers (CMs) can acceptclient securities as collateral byway of title transfer into theclient collateral account as perthe present system till August-end.

The regulator had allowedco-existence of the current titletransfer collateral mechanismand the new pledge and re-pledge process till August 31and had said no further exten-sion will be granted.

New Delhi: Engineering andconstruction giant Larsen andToubro on Monday said it hascompleted the strategic divest-ment of its electrical andautomation business toSchneider Electric.The movewill see India becoming thethird largest country in termsof revenues for SchneiderElectric. With this, about 5,000employees of Larsen andToubro’s electrical and automa-tion business will be integrat-ed with Schneider Electric’sover 2,000 employees. Thoughthe size of the deal was not dis-closed, L&T had inked a defin-

itive pact with SchneiderElectric in 2018 to sell its elec-trical and automation busi-ness for an all-cash considera-tion of �14,000 crore, as part ofits long-term strategy to exitnon-core activities. “Larsenand Toubro (L&T), India’s lead-ing engineering, technology,construction and financial ser-vices conglomerate, todayannounced the closure of thestrategic divestment of its elec-trical and automation (E&A)business to Schneider Electric,a global player in energy man-agement and automation,” thecompany said in a statement.

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Mumbai: BSE and NSE listedspecialty chemicals firm VikasMulticorp Ltd (VML) has con-stituted an advisory boardunder the chairmanship ofSunil Alagh, former MD andCEO for Britannia Industries,to steer the company’s strategyin the B2C business havingdecades of experience inFMCG brand building.

VML recently announcedthat it will enter the food pro-tection and personal hygienesegment with an investment of�100 crore in two years.

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Page 10: ˇˆ˘ ˙ ˝ ˛ ˚ˇ...2020/08/31  · where social media will run amok in our country,” Choudhary said at AICC Press briefing. He was joined by AICC social media experts Praveen

Mosquitoes are found indifferent parts of the globeand the insect has 3,500

species of small insects that fly.These tiny insects are millions ofyears old and exist as speciesbecause they’re next to impossibleto wipe-out from the planet.Besides being a menace, in ourecosystem they serve as food forother species (birds, frogs, and fish)and are also pollinators.

Each year on August 20, WorldMosquito Day is celebrated toraise awareness of the importanceof mosquito control and educatepeople to save themselves from thedeadly diseases spread by theinsect that remain the number onekiller of humans around the world.World Mosquito Day was intro-duced in the year 1897 by DrRonald Ross when he discoveredthe malaria parasite in the stomachwall of the mosquito. He succeed-ed in confirming that the insectwas a carrier of the disease andtransmitted it to the human bodyand was awarded a Nobel Prize forMedicine in 1902 for his discovery.

According to the World HealthOrganisation, the harmless-lookingcreature claims more than 1 mil-lion human lives every year.

Following are the diseasesspread by mosquitoes:

Anopheles: Malaria,Lymphatic Filariasis

Aedes: Yellow fever,Chikungunya, Dengue, LymphaticFilariasis, Rift Valley Fever, Zika

Culex: Lymphatic Filariasis,

Japanese encephalitis, West Nilefever

Mosquito spread diseases thatclaim more lives than any otherdiseases.

Dengue: This is a mosquito-borne viral disease that occurs inthe sub-tropical and tropical partsof the world, spread to humansthrough the bite of an infectedspecies of Aedes. In dengue thereare four DENV serotypes, meaningthat there are chances of gettinginfected four times. While DENVinfections produce only mild ill-ness, it can cause acute flu-like ill-ness as well.

Fact: According to studies,100 million new infections ofdengue are estimated to occurannually in more than 100 coun-tries.

Chikungunya: This disease ishighly found in Asia and Africa.Most people diagnosed with thisdisease recover within a week orsometimes few more days. Itssymptoms occur within the firstweek of infection with suddenfever, joint pains, fatigue, andrashes in some cases. There is nocure for the disease and the treat-ment is focused on relieving thesymptoms. Between the years 2012and 2016 India saw a 300 per centrise in the cases of Chikungunya.

Fact: This disease shares someclinical signs with Zika andDengue which can be misdiag-nosed in areas where they arecommon.

Malaria: This disease is caused

by a plasmodium parasite that istransmitted by the bite of an infect-ed mosquito. People suffering fromthis disease have symptoms likefever, chills, and sweatiness. Thisdisease is curable by treatmentfrom an expert doctor and It is alsopreventable by taking protectivedrugs before entering an area con-taminated by the disease.

Fact: The majority of deathsdue to mosquitoes are caused byMalaria which alone has around 4,35,000 deaths as per a report in2017.

Yellow Fever: Yellow fever isalso commonly known as Jaundicein many parts of the world. Thisdisease is an acute viral hemor-rhagic disease transmitted byinfected mosquitoes. No specifictreatments for the disease exist sofar. Efforts focus mainly on man-aging symptoms and limiting com-plications.

Fact: While most symptoms ofthe disease clear up after three orfour days, some cases enter a secondphase, which can cause high fever,severe bleeding, and organ failure.

India being a favorite habitatfor mosquitoes, during the mon-soon season, and the hot tropicalarea with large population invitesthe female mosquitoes who are thecarriers of the diseases. The spreadof mosquito-borne diseases can bereduced only by taking precautionsand being informed about the tinykiller.

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The Hindi idiom “apne pairo pe khade hona” (standing on yourown feet) is generally used to refer to the financial indepen-

dence of a young adult. A little thought, and one realises how itcan have a different meaning as one transitions through differ-ent phases of life. As a toddler it is about gaining bodily controland as one ages having seen it all, it is about retaining physicalindependence, functional capacity and quality of life.

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a common joint dis-ease and a leading cause of disability, functional impairmentworldwide. It is a serious disease with significant financial andsocioeconomic implications. The impact is not limited to the kneewith recent studies pointing towards a link between knee painand increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease and othercauses. The prevalence of OA is increasing across all ages andis likely to continue to rise due to a plethora of reasons includ-ing lifestyle changes, obesity and an increasingly ageing popu-lation. Joint pains are often neglected until it causes distress orimpaired quality of life, but still a greater number of young patientsare presenting with this problem. Obesity is a key modifiable fac-tor for knee OA and cannot be overlooked as three to six timesthe body weight is transferred across the knee joint during walk-

ing. So, for every 5 kg of extraweight the knees have to carryan extra load of 15 to 30 kg.

Despite the progress inmedical technology anddecades of trying to understandknee OA, in the absence of acure the treatments strategieslargely focus on symptom man-agement including pain relief,improved joint function, andjoint stability. If you thinkabout it we do not cure mostconditions and we eitherremove, replace or managemost conditions.

Joint replacement surgerytill date is the preferred optionfor long term solution in severecases benefitting a vast major-ity, yet some of them continueto experience pain. As perresearch evidence around 9per cent of the patients under-going hip replacement surgeryand 20 per cent of the patients

undergoing knee replacement surgery have an unfavourable painoutcome. Despite the high prevalence, the condition remainsunder acknowledged like a silent epidemic. Persistent pain notonly has an adverse impact on the quality of life but often leavespatients confused or blaming themselves for the pain or the deci-sion to go ahead with surgery. When no obvious cause is foundit leads to more dissatisfaction, frustration and breakdown of thedoctor-patient relationship, thus promoting doctor shopping.Besides these patients, there is another subgroup of patients whoare either not fit for surgery due to other coexisting medical prob-lems or do not want to have surgery, come what may. Mobilitymay be ever more important for the ones who have other seri-ous comorbidities as its absence often promotes a worsening spi-ral of health issues. So, what options exist for these subgroupsapart from suffering and becoming dependent on others?

The minimally invasive technique of Radio FrequencyAblation (RFA) offers a ray of hope for these patients. The focusin this procedure is to deactivate the nerves responsible for trans-mitting pain signals from the affected joints to the brain. Lesspain signals reaching the brain means less amount of pain expe-rienced and less pain can in turn improve functionality andreduced medication requirements.

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#"#"�-�Cocoa is the dried andfully fermented seed ofTheobroma cacao, widelyavailable in powder form. It isconsidered to be one of the bestmedicinal foods. It is full offlavonoids. It helps controldiabetes and cocoa basedproducts are advised to beincluded in the daily diet toimprove the insulin resistanceand level of glucose in the body.

Cocoa powder is good forthe heart and prevents fatalblood clots. Hence,avoiding severe car-diac problems. Theflavonoid and anti-oxidants in cocoabeans lowersblood pressureand improvesthe elasticity of veinsand blood vessels.

Cocoa is great for the skin.It is also considered to cure can-cer — used particularly in thecure of prostate and colon can-cer. It has anti-depressant prop-erties that can help preventmental exertion and facilitatecertain physiological processesand elevate the mood.

The COVID-19 hasmade many peopledo all the household

including washing utensilsand clothes. The detergentscan make your hands dryand rough. While mois-turiser is good, theeffect is temporary.However, onecan use kitcheningredients fora lasting effect.

We allknow the ben-efits of olive oilwhen it comesto cooking but didyou know that usingit on hands does wonderstoo? Take half a teaspoon ofolive oil (cold pressed pre-ferred) and a teaspoon ofsugar. Rub the two betweenthe palms and at the back ofthe hand for two-three min-utes. Wash off with water.

For better results do thistwice a day.

One can even uselemon juice, glycerin androse water. Take one -partlemon juice, one-part glyc-erin and two parts rosewa-

ter. Pour them in abottle and store

in a cool dryplace. Use thisliquid atnight onyour hands.Wash off in

the morning.Aloe vera

does the trick aswell. Take a little

aloe vera gel and rub it onthe hands for a couple ofminutes. If you have a plant,take a leaf cut in half andslice it horizontally. Rubthis on the hands. Rinse off15-20 minutes. Do thistwice daily for soft hands.

The pandemic has mademany people do all the house-

hold chores. While it is goodto do your work, the down

side is dry and rough hands.ROSHANI DEVI shares tips

that can help

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An energy drink is a kind of drink hav-ing stimulant compounds, generally,

caffeine, which is marketed as giving men-tal and physical stimulation (branded asenergy, but different from food energy).They could or could not be carbonatedand might also contain sugar, other sweet-eners, herbal extracts, amino acids, andtaurine. They are a subset of the biggergroup of energy products, which includesbars and gels and separate from sportsdrinks, which are promoted to enhancesports performance. There are severalbrands and varieties in this drink catego-ry.

Coffee, tea and other naturally caf-feinated drinks are generally not consid-ered energy drinks. Other soft drinks suchas aerated drinks may contain caffeine butare not considered energy drinks either.Though it is safe for a healthy adult todrink a total of 400 mg of caffeine a day.This claim is also confirmed by one of thepanels of the European Food SafetyAuthority.

Energy drinks have the impacts of caf-feine and sugar, but there is little or no evi-dence that the wide variety of otheringredients have any impact.

However, like several things, there areseveral myths about energy drinks.

Myth 1: Energy drinks have highamounts of caffeine

Fact: The large majority of energydrinks available that are consumed inIndia like the Monster, Red Bull, and sev-eral prominent brands have similar orlower levels of caffeine compared to thehome-brewed coffee which many peopleenjoy on a daily basis. And many consistsof half the caffeine of a similarly-sized cof-fee shop coffee. A 473.176 ml energy drinknormally contains 160 milligrams of caf-feine, while the same size coffee shop cof-fee contains around 300 to 330 mil-ligrams. Moreover, caffeine has been con-sidered to safely be consumed around theglobe for hundreds of years.

Myth 2: Energy drinks and caffeinedrinks are the same

Fact: Myth, energy drinks and ener-gy shots are not the same. Mainstreamenergy drinks made and distributed bycompanies are branded as conventionalbeverages and thus, regulated as such.They are also present in package sizescomparable to those of other non-alco-holic drinks. Energy drinks are normallymarketed as dietary supplements and aresold in package sizes where the quantityis usually about 59.1471 ml. Most well-known brands also normally contain amuch higher concentration of caffeine.

Myth 3: Energy drinks are harmlessFact:The sugar and caffeine in ener-

gy drinks can be excessive. Excessive caf-feine can cause anxiety, a higher heart rate,and increased blood pressure. And thesugar well as much as 15 tsp in a singleserving which is far beyond the daily rec-ommendation of six teaspoons for womenand nine teaspoons for men.

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Gurgaon-based Premas Biotech said onAugust 27, 2020 that its triple-antigen vac-cine candidate for COVID-19 has induced

neutralising immune response in mice during thefour-week test of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine can-didate. The company is in talks with the regula-tory authorities concerned to plan and initiatenext steps towards conducting human trials.

The study consisted of 50 mice, divided into10 cohorts dosed with 5, 10 and 20 microgramsof PRAK-03202 vaccine candidate. The vaccinecandidate was generally well tolerated and safeat all doses, with no adverse events reported. Thevaccine candidate was safe even at higher dosesand generated a robust immune response againstall three SARS-Cov2 antigens, Spike (S), Envelope(E) and Membrane (M). PRAK-03202 elicitedneutralising antibody titers levels in all doses,from 5 microgram to 20 microgram dose regi-mens. After three doses in mice, all groupscohorts showed binding antibody levels similarto convalescent patients’ levels.

Prabuddha Kundu, Co-Founder andManaging Director at Premas Biotech, comment-ed: “We are happy to report that the vaccine can-didate study in mice has gone on well, and theresults are positive and encouraging. We haveengaged with the regulatory authorities in Indiaand are working towards the next steps undertheir guidance.”

Premas’ vaccine candidate is triple-antigen(based on the three COVID-19 proteins S, M &E) which differentiates it from other candidatesunder development around the world. Earlier inMay, Premas Biotech had announced that it wasthe first in the world to obtain transmission elec-tronic microscopic images of the recombinantvirus like particle of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

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breaking trials result on Herpes, onAugust 20, 2020. The research successful-ly marks reduced time & early treatmentwith the use of combination therapy of thecompany’s Hyperisince and Reginmune.

It started way back in the year 2004,when Dr T Vijayan from the JSS School ofpharmaceuticals discovered that extracts ofHypericum Mysorense, a rare plant from theNilgiri Hills could completely suppress theherpes virus in-vitro.

Some major pharmaceutical companiesdecided to synthesise ‘hypericin’ and use itfor trials on Herpes & HIV However, thetrials were put to a halt by the FDA due toreports of synthetic hypericin moleculeshaving side effects.

Biogetica a global collective of doctorsand scientists dedicated to natural medicinewas the only firm that actually worked withthe plant and not a synthesised version of

its active molecule. The challenge was tomake it enter cell membranes and work invivo. There was also attempts to cross theblood brain barrier to get to nerve gangliawhere herpes thrives.

Clinical trials published in 2017 showedremarkable results for Herpes, busting theage old myth that Ayurveda takes a longertime to show results and that someone withherpes will always have recurrences. In thetrial it was seen that a herpes outbreak usu-ally lasts 21 days without treatment.Acyclovir the FDA approved pharmaceu-tical for herpes can bring that durationdown to nine days. The combination ther-apy of Hyperisince and Reginmune how-ever brought the average time down to threedays. Furthermore 76 per cent of patientswith genital herpes who took the combina-tion of Hyperisince and Reginmune did nothave a relapse of herpes for the follow upperiod of two years.

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Actor Nia Sharma has wonKhatron Ke Khiladi:

Made In India, beating JasminBhasin and Karan Wahi in thefinal. The contest was a spe-cial edition of the reality TVadventure game show and itwas launched earlier thismonth after season 10 ofKhatron Ke Khiladi conclud-ed.

Hosted by Rohit Shetty,the Made In India edition ofKhatron Ke Khiladi featuredchampions of past seasonssuch as Jay Bhanushali,Rithvik Dhanjani, BhartiSingh, Haarsh Limbachiyaa,Aly Goni and Karan Patel.Dhanjani had to quit thecontest midway due to per-sonal commitments.

“Khatron Ke Khiladi start-ed off as a fun special edition,but it quickly became mysole agenda to win the season.I gave my all to every stuntthat I performed on theshow,” said Nia, who has ear-

lier contested in season eightof the show.

The season witnessed thehost and action filmmakerRohit Shetty design someincredible stunts for the con-testants. Nia overcame chal-lenges that involved conquer-ing heights, negotiatingexplosions, swimmingthrough mud and, in oneround, surviving a waterycoffin. She also made a markon the Colors channel showwith her camaraderie with co-contestants, especially come-dian Harsh Limbachiyaa.

“The team always showedimmense faith in me and

encouraged me to go andgive my best. I did not wantto let go of the second oppor-tunity that Colors gave me. Iwanted to win and I wouldnot have been at ease with anyother result. Winning theseason brought a sense ofhappiness and satisfaction. Itwas also my answer to thosepeople who thought Nia wasonly about makeup andstyling. No, she’s not. She is awinner and she has proven itwith this win!” Nia added.

The grand finale had aBollywood-style red carpetlaid out for the contestants.The finale stunts involved

pythons, spinning stunts attowering heights, and a three-part heist designed speciallyby Rohit Shetty, where thecontestants had to hunt downa necklace to win, amidstexplosions, shattered glass,and electric shock.

Rohit earlier wrote in hisInstagram post, “Before com-mencing the shoot for thisseason, we were worriedbecause of pandemic, lock-down, safety of the unit andcontestants and will we beable to match the internation-al standards of action for thisseason of Khatron Ke Khiladias we were shooting it in

Mumbai. But at last we pulledit off. I am really proud of myaction team for making thisseason as one of the best...After all it’s Made in India.”

Manisha Sharma, ChiefContent Officer, Hindi MassEntertainment, Viacom18,said, “Given the fact that wewere shooting for the show inIndia, we got a great oppor-tunity to incorporate variousBollywood elements to thestunts, while making it moreentertaining.”

Abhishek Rege, CEO,Endemol added, “I wouldlike to congratulate Nia forher win and for giving suchan amazing and spirited per-formance. To create such animpactful show with the con-straints we faced due to thepandemic speaks of the cre-ativity and ingenuity of theentire Khatron Ke Khiladi:Made In India team. We lookforward to the next season.”

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Lockdown unravelled the bril-liance of artist SantoshChikanna who lives in Bidar,

Karnataka. It was his Holy Cowseries that caught my gaze. It is anamazing composition, where thedetailing of the divine appears tobe his forte. He calls his series withan exclamatory dialogue; whenyou look at it, you can see themajesty of the miniature world, thebeauty of mythology, his perenni-al fascination for the gods andsome tales from the Puranas.

Bhakti and emotive essenceWhile his cow is both contem-

porary and traditional, it is hisfocus on the horn that radiates anenergy that is at once evocative.Santosh recreates Lord Ganesha indifferent ways, striking up a con-versation about the worship ofgods and questioning as to how tolook after the cow.

He says, “In Delhi, there aremany who leave their cows backat home and wander, hoping to getsome food. I have a cow thatcomes and bellows at my gateevery morning at 6:30, and I feedher. Her trust in me is uncanny.Her eyes reflect a divinity I haverarely seen. There is the beauty ofhistory and tradition and lifestyleand satire in these compositions aswell as a sense of play.

The drawing on the hornsevokes feelings of bhakti, or spir-itual devotion, love for nature aswell as worship and longing for thedivine moment, but when used asstorytelling, they mirror the sameemotion in the viewer. The con-cept of bhakti goes back to ancienttimes and the Rig Veda. It isderived from the root ‘Bhai,’ whichmeans to serve or adore. Bhakti cutacross all sections of society and

became accessible to one and all.Maharashtra is full of stories

of the bhakti movement andwomen saints. Scholars like J Storsay that in a sense, women did farbetter in the bhakti milieu but onlywithin the metaphor of what wasknown as the pati-vrata dharma.There are some exceptions to thisgeneral description in the lives ofwomen saints belonging to theVarkari tradition of Maharashtra.

Some of them like Muktabai andJanabai even hold their own sta-tus in a male-dominated society.The conclusion drawn is thatbhakti, though in a small way,paved the path for equalityamongst the sexes, particularly inthe medieval period. AndChikanna’s intricate imagerypoints towards this movement ofgrowth.

Detailed designsLooking at Chikanna’s cow

images, we at once think of Nandi— Lord Shiva’s sacred bull. Nandiis Shiva’s faithful mount and themost devout worshipper — anembodiment of devotion. Theyoung bull is popularly, but incor-rectly, known as Nandi, “the joy-ful,” but is better referred to sim-ply as Vrishabha, the “white bull.”He is understood as an expressionof Shiva’s supreme wisdom andthus is also worshipped as a the-riomorphic form of Shiva himself.Nandi always assumed an inde-pendent cult status. Shrines toShiva’s bull are the testifies to theresilience of such cults. Chikanna’simagery on the horns brings in themagic of folk art and echoes of themedieval era.

Miniature traditionThe exquisitely-detailed draw-

ings tell us that Chikanna hasstudied the rigorous techniques ofthe miniature tradition — fromgilding and hand-crafting thethickly-plied to carefully bur-nished paper supporting the care-ful application of colour withtiny pen, ink strokes, and curlsand curves.

Chikanna has a velvet hand.He continues to experiment with-in the well-defined strictures ofthis traditional discipline. In boththese examples, it is the finely-detailed portraits of the god set insumptuously-filled landscapes,and replete with the meticulousdetail that remind us of yesteryearimagery found in folios commis-sioned by the Mughal emperors.For Chikanna, there is an exquis-ite tension between the stringentparameters of this ancient practiceand the modernity of his experi-ence — one that speaks, in part,to the frictions of a world in whichnovelty and orthodoxy collide.

Expression becomes his leit-motif in his recreating the cow’sface. In a world ruled by paradox-es of glittering wealth and abjectpoverty and sometimes oppressivereligion and debauchery, thesetwo drawings present a masterfuldebut steeped in atmosphere andshimmering with the mystery ofthe human hand that can createworks, which we can admire tilleternity.

Mahindra Excellence in TheatreAwards (META) and Festival con-

cluded a three-week celebration, bring-ing together theatre personalities in avirtual ceremony. The festival rewardsand recognises excellence across allaspects of theatre production. It iscurated and produced by arts and enter-tainment company, Teamwork Arts.

The 15th edition of the festivalbrings attention to the artiste commu-nity and performing arts space, whoselivelihood have been significantlyimpacted due to the COVID outbreak.

Speaking at the ceremony, AnandMahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Groupsaid, “In spite of, or perhaps because of,all our current difficulties, the ceremo-

ny transcends the boundaries of an audi-torium and becomes accessible to anaudience of thousands, right in theirhomes.”

Signalling new possibilities for the-atre in an increasingly digital-onlyworld, plays were viewed online todecide the winners. The jury includedplaywright, stage director and filmmak-er Mahesh Dattani, playwright andnovelist Makarand Sathe, veteran actorand a teacher of speech and dramaSushma Seth, actor-writer Vinay Pathakwho’s been actively involved in Indiancinema and theatre for over twodecades, and film, television and theatreactor and director, Lillete Dubey.

Unanimously recognised as anexample of modern experimental the-atre, Delhi-based Black Box Okhla’s Forthe Record, directed by Nikhil Mehta,won the Best Play and also bagged thehighest number of awards across six cat-egories.

The Old Man (Assamese andGibberish) from Orchid Theatre andGhoom Nei (Bengali) fromThakurpukur Ichheymoto TheatreGroup bagged four awards each, high-lighting the talent in theatre being pro-duced in the country’s East.

The winner from the South,Malayalam production, BhaskaraPattelarum Thommiyude Jeevithavumfrom Backstage won for Best StageDesign by Suveeran.

Eminent names who gave away theawards included Ajit Rai, Akhila

Krishnamurthy, Ashley Lobo, DeepaPunjani, Deepika Deshpande Amin,Dolly Ahluwalia, Feroz Abbas Khan, IlaArun, Joseph Mitchell, Lillete Dubey,Makarand Sathe, Mahesh Dattani,Nandita Das, Naveen Kishore, SharmilaTagore, Shobha Deepak Singh, SonalMansingh, Sumant Jayakrishnan,Sushma Seth and Vinay Pathak.

The nominated plays offered diversetheatre scenes and included plays in mul-tiple languages such as Hindi, English,Hindustani, Bengali, Marathi,Malayalam, Assamese (blended with gib-berish) and a non-verbal play too. Thenominations featured five productionsfrom Maharashtra, two from Kerala andone each from Assam, Delhi and WestBengal. From reinterpretations ofmythology, the crises of ideology, explo-rations and exploitations of gender, andthe marginalisation and politics of caste,there were thought-provoking dramathat inspires change and brings relevantsocial issues to the forefront.

Earlier, the META LifetimeAchievement Award was conferred ondirector, actor, set designer, writer,teacher and Theatre Action Group’sfounder director, Barry John.

The ceremony also included aTheatre Critics Conference focussing oncritical discourse on theatre in thecountry and the launch of the first-everpublished edition of a META BestOriginal Script (winner of 2019) givingimpetus to scriptwriting in contempo-rary Indian theatre.

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His exit from the IPLattributed to personalreasons this season, all-

rounder Suresh Raina’s stintwith Chennai Super Kingsseems in jeopardy even next yearas the franchise might part wayswith him before the 2021 edi-tion.

The CSK camp based inDubai reported 13 Covid-19cases, including two main squadmembers Deepak Chahar andRuturaj Gaikwad, a developmentwhich an IPL source said, playeda role in the recently-retiredIndia player’s exit from theevent starting September 19.

However, it has nowemerged that the team manage-ment was not particularly happywith the 32-year-old’s “conduct”during the quarantine time,something which infuriatedCSK owner and former BCCIpresident N Srinivasan.

“In CSK, the norm is thatthe coach, captain and the man-ager get suites. However, Rainaalso gets a suite in any hotel thatthe franchise stays. It’s just thathis room didn’t have a balcony,”an IPL source said.

“It was an issue but I don’tthink big enough to warrant acomeback (to India). Therecould be something more thanjust the scare of rising Covid-caseload in Chennai,” the sourceadded, alluding to a speculatedbreach of the bio-bubble byRaina.

He said given the situation,

Raina could well be gone forgood now not only this seasonbut also the next IPL scheduledin April, 2021. Chennai’sfavourite Chinna Thala maynot wear the Canary yellowagain.

Is there a possibility ofRaina coming back this season,thereby changing the circum-stances?

“He is unavailable this sea-son and that is clear from theofficial statement issued by theCSK. Now there are certainthings that have not gone down

too well with the top people,” thesource said.

“It looks highly improbablethat someone who has retiredand likely won’t play any crick-et will come back for CSK.Maybe, he will be back in auc-tion and someone else mightpick him.”

CSK is punting heavily onyoung Ruturaj, expecting that hewill come good once he com-pletes the quarantine and rejoinsthe training session after twonegative tests.

“CSK has not yet asked for

an official replacement forRaina...They are undecided,”the IPL source added.

On the speculated bio-bub-ble breach, the source said anapology from Raina will have lit-tle impact given that the team islooking ahead.

“I don’t know about theapology part but CSK will nowbe eyeing to prepare Ruturajlooking at the future and Dhoniand Fleming will rejig theirstrategy accordingly,” the sourceadded.

Raina is CSK’s highest run-getter with 4527 runs from 164IPL games. The left-hander isalso the second highest scorer inIPL history with 5368 runs,second only to Indian skipperVirat Kohli’s 5412 runs.

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Australian pacer JoshHazlewood on Monday

admitted that he is “concerned”about the Covid-19 outbreak inhis IPL side Chennai SuperKings, but said he is currentlyfocussing on the limited overstour of England.

The IPL, which is beginningin the UAE on September 19,has reported 13 Covid-19 pos-itive cases from the CSK contin-gent, including two players.

“We have a groupWhatsApp with all the informa-tion that comes through, it’sobviously a little bit of a con-cern,” Hazlewood, who is herefor national duty, told reporters.

Those who have testedpositive have been isolatedin a separate hotel.

According to theBCCI’s StandardOperating Procedure(SOP), all those who testpositive are man-dated to gothrough an addi-tional 14-dayquarantine. Theycan enter the bio-secure bubbleonly after return-ing negative in teststo be conducted afterthe extended isola-tion.

“Ideally you’dhave no cases, theyare in quarantinenow and I thinkthat finishes up in

next few days. All my focus is onthis tour at the moment andwhen the IPL comes closer we’llthink about that,” Hazlewoodsaid.

Hazlewood is part of theAustralian squad that has trav-elled to England for the white-ball tour. The two sides will playthree T20Is in Southamptonand as many ODIs inManchester between Sept 4-16.

The 29-year-old, who alongwith the likes of David Warner,Steve Smith, Pat Cummins andAaron Finch is scheduled totravel to the UAE after the tourof England, said there will be dis-cussions with the CricketAustralia (CA) if the number ofpositive cases in the IPL increas-es.

“We haven’t spoken toomuch about it yet, it’s a fewweeks away until we get there.I assume those things willcome up if cases are still hap-

pening closer to the date,then we’ll touch base

with Cricket Australia(CA) and have achat.”

CA has beenextra cautious init’s approach tocounter theCovid-19 pan-

demic. The boardhas restricted its players

from using sweat fromthe head, face and neckto shine the ball during

the tour of England toreduce the risk of trans-mission of the virus.

���%- The sticky wicket was a “great challenge”but South African star AB de Villiers left theground after his first net session in ages a sat-isfied man, having got what he had wantedahead of the IPL.

The 36-year-old, who turns out for RoyalChallengers Bangalore in the T20 league,resumed training after a five-months and saidthe first sessions were pretty good as he stuckto the basics.

“It was very good, enjoyable to be out there,the wicket was a bit sticky so it was a great chal-lenge, actually if I could have it my way, I wouldhave wanted my first net session to go like thisonly after a long time,” De Villiers said in avideo posted on RCB’s official Twitter handle.

“I kept my basics in place, watched the ballcarefully, I played some nice shots in the endand it was enjoyable,” added de Villiers, whoalso donned the keeping gloves during the ses-sion.

De Villiers was in quarantine for six daysafter arriving in the UAE and hit the nets afterclearing three Covid-19 tests. The session wasalso attended by Umesh Yadav, Parthiv Pateland Gurkeerat Singh among others.

The team had hit the nets for the first timeon Saturday after successfully ending its quar-antine period. PTI

� $�� !�%- India’s foreign coachfor badminton, Agus DwiSantoso, says he will not be ableto implement his plans with onlyfour shuttlers at his disposal, andwants the Sports Authority ofIndia to allow more players inthe national camp.

He admitted that the Covid-19 situation remains worrisomebut said they will have to adaptto it. The nodal sports body hadallowed the camp for eightOlympic hopefuls followingapproval from the TelanganaGovernment but only four arecurrently training at the SAI-Pullela Gopichand Academy.

“The current situation is stilla worry but we have to adapt andlive with the virus. We have beenfollowing the protocols of theGovernment but I need more

players to implement my plans,”Santoso said.

He has been hired to workwith the top singles players.

Out of the eight Olympichopefuls, only world championPV Sindhu, B Sai Praneeth,women’s doubles specialist SikkiReddy and Kidambi Srikanth arecurrently attending the camp.

Former world No 1 SainaNehwal has still not joined the

camp and is training at a sepa-rate facility with husband PKashyap and a few others, whoare not part of the camp.

Satwiksairaj Ranki Reddy,who recently tested positive forCovid-19, is at his home, whilehis men’s doubles partner ChiragShetty is lodged in Mumbai.

Ashwini Ponnappa has pre-ferred to stay in Bangalore andtrain at the Padukone-Dravid

Centre of Sports Excellence.“I understand SAI’s decision

to allow eight players for thecamp in this pandemic but onlyfour players are training. I needmore players of the same level,quality players because bad-minton is a mind game, it needsteamwork,” Santoso said.

“It has been few weeks andwe are still training a few play-ers and that is not good. It isimportant to train as a group sothat players can compete hardand help each other. A healthycompetition is important.

“I hope for support fromSAI in getting more players totrain. Once we have that, wewould be in a better position toprepare and do well in tourna-ments including the TokyoOlympics.” PTI

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It’s been seven years since achess player got the Arjuna

award and the iconicViswanathan Anand is hopingthat India’s triumphant cam-paign at the online ChessOlympiad will change thiswhen the national sportinghonours are announced nextyear.

In an interview after Indiawon the top honours jointlywith Russia on Sunday, Anand,a recipient of both the Arjunaand the Khel Ratna, said awardrecognition is due for thesport’s practitioners in India.

“I hope this will lead to allsorts of positive things includ-ing the reconsideration in theSports Ministry of the Arjunaaward and the Dronacharyaawards for chess. It has been along time,” said the country’sfirst Khel Ratna awardee.

The last time a chess play-er received the Arjuna was in2013 when Abhijeet Guptawas bestowed the honour,while a chess coach has beengiven the Dronacharya justtwice — Raghunandan VasantGokhale (1986) and KoneruAshok (2006).

“Sometimes you need toshow that we are still there andI hope this results in positiveimpetus for many things,”Anand said.

He said in the last few

years, there has been “a dropoff in the attitude of the SportsMinistry towards chess play-ers” regarding Governmentawards.

“I don’t mean at a person-al level obviously. Just thatinstitutionally, we no longerget awards for internationalcompetitions,” Anand saidlater in an online media inter-action.

Anand also touched uponthe wrangling within thenational federation.

“It might be due to variousissues pertaining to code ofconduct etc. Our federationhas had some difficulties. Itwould be nice to reset this.And the best way to reset thisis not by writing long letters toeditors but by having goodresults like this.”

‘MAGICAL MOMENT FOR US’The legendary player

termed India’s maiden Gold

medal win in the ChessOlympiad as a “magicalmoment” which will spur thefurther growth of the sport inthe country.

“The tournament went likea dream for me. A special Goldfor me. A special moment foryoungsters. Winning the Goldis simply a magical moment,”Anad told reporters during anonline media interaction, alongwith all the other 11 membersof the Indian team.

“I hope this will be thestart of many things for India,”Anand said of the country’sfirst Gold medal in the ChessOlympiad.

Indian men had previ-ously won a Bronze in the2014 edition, which wasthe country’s best finishbefore this Gold.

“The Olympiad win isvery special...A very specialmedal I will add to my collec-tion,” he added.

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Kings XI Punjab’s fielding coachJonty Rhodes feels it’s important

for the team’s senior players such asMohammed Shami to set an examplefor the juniors to follow in the upcom-ing IPL.

“From an energy perspective, Ialways look to the senior players to leadbecause there are some talented youngplayers like Mayank Agarwal, KarunNair, Deepak Hooda, some great field-ers,” Rhodes said in a video posted onthe official Twitter handle of Kings XIPunjab.

“But it’s guys like Shami who, forme, are so important to this outfitbecause they are often looked up toand respected in very high regard,especially in Indian cricketing circles.

“If they are setting high stan-dards, then young players, it’s easier for

them to follow. So it’s great to seeShami speed to the ball, great tech-nique and just showing the youngerguys that he’s still got something leftin the tank.”

This will be Rhodes’ first stint withthe Kings XI Punjab. He is making areturn to the IPL after having spent twoseasons away post his stint with theMumbai Indians.

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Former Pakistan skipperInzamam-ul-Haq has

slammed coach-cum-selectorMisbah-ul-Haq for his negativebody language duringPakistan’s defeat in the secondT20I against England onSunday.

England chased down astiff 196-run target losing onlyfive wickets.

With England going strongat 65 for no loss, Misbah wasseen sitting with his handsover his face and holding hishead in disappointment.

Inzamam said such reac-tions sends a negative messageto the team which was still bat-tling in the middle.

“During the fifth over ofEngland innings, whenPakistan were bowling theirPowerplay overs and had con-

ceded 40-45 runs, the camerakept showing Misbah and hehad his hands on his head,which suggested that some-thing really bad had happened,”Inzamam said in his YouTubechannel.

“There were still 155-160runs to go, the match couldhave gone in anyone’s favour,

but you are sending a messagethat suggests that you havedone something wrong.

“You can have a proper dis-cussion after the game, but ifyou respond like this during thematch, then this will have a badeffect on the team.”

The former skipper said itis important to send “positive

vibes” irrespective of the matchsituation.

“No matter what happensduring the match, only positivevibes should go out from thedressing room. It’s very impor-tant. We are T20 champions. Ifwe’re losing in that (format), it’sa cause of worry.”

The 50-year-old Inzamamalso drew a comparisonbetween Misbah and formercoach Mickey Arthur, who wasshown the door followingPakistan’s disappointing WorldCup campaign last year.

“Mickey Arthur used torespond in the same way,” saidInzamam, who was the chiefselector when Arthur served asthe chief coach.

“Whenever I used to go towatch series and talk to play-ers, they used to complain a lotthat Arthur’s similar anticsaffected them negatively.”

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England on Monday recalledseveral World Cup winners

for their upcoming white-ballseries against Australia but Testcaptain Joe Root has again beenomitted from the T20 squad.

Fifty-over world championsEngland have been fielding sep-arate red and white ball squadsin a season hit by the coron-avirus pandemic.

But with all six Tests span-ning two series wins against theWest Indies and Pakistan nowcompleted, England haverecalled some of their multi-for-mat players for next month’s lim-ited-overs matches againstAustralia.

Root was the third-highestrun-scorer at the 2016 T20World Cup but the Yorkshirebatsman has not played a T20Isfor over a year, despite stillwanting to feature in the format.

Meanwhile fellow WorldCup winners Jofra Archer, JosButtler, and Mark Wood allreturn for both the T20 and ODIseries, while Chris Woakes isback in the 50-over squad.

Both England white-ballsides are again captained by EoinMorgan, whose dashing 66helped put the hosts 1-0 up in a

T20 series against Pakistan inManchester on Sunday ahead ofTuesday’s finale.

Jason Roy, another memberof England’s World Cup winningside, has been ruled out of theT20s with the same side strainthat has sidelined him for allthree Pakistan T20s.

But England hope theSurrey opener will be fit for theone-dayers.

Meanwhile Ben Stokes, whohas not played for Englandsince this month’s first Testagainst Pakistan, was again omit-ted with the all-rounder stillspending time in New Zealandwith his father, who has beendiagnosed with brain cancer.

There was no place in eithersquad for all-rounder DavidWilley, despite the left-arm pace-man being England’s man of theseries in their 2-1 one-day inter-national campaign win overIreland earlier this month.

“We have selected strongsquads,” said Ed Smith, theEngland national selector. “Weare also continuing to developdepth in preparation for theupcoming T20 World Cups.”

� $�0"��- Andy Murray sayshis true self will be on show ata Grand Slam for the first timein three years this week at the USOpen after battling back from acareer-threatening hip injury.

The former world No 1said the last time he felt thispain-free going into a tennismajor was at Roland Garros in2017.

“It has been a long journeyto get back to this point,” the 33-year-old told reporters.

“I’m actually hopefullygoing to compete at a Slamwhere I’m not worried abouthow I’m going to be and how myhip is going to feel. The last timethat would have been was in the2017 French Open.

“It’s a long time ago and Iknow I’ve played a couple ofslams since then but that wasn’treally me on the court,” headded.

Murray had career-savinghip surgery in 2019, his secondhip operation, before sufferinganother setback with a pelvicinjury at the Davis Cup lastNovember.

That, combined with the

coronavirus pandemic shut-down, kept him out of compe-tition until the ATP Western andSouthern Open this past week,where he reached the last 16.

The 2012 US Open cham-pion said he is “pumped” to beback at Flushing Meadows forthe first time since 2018.

“Physically right now I feelpretty good. So I’m really happyabout that because it’s allowingme to practice, and prepareproperly and enjoy my time onthe court,” he said.

Murray plays Japan’sYoshihito Nishioka in the firstround on Tuesday. AP

�" -� Prolific scorer CiroImmobile has extended his con-tract with Lazio through 2025.His previous contract was due toexpire in 2023.

“This is important, becauseImmobile had gained the atten-tion of some big clubs, consid-ering that he’s the EuropeanGolden Boot holder,” Lazio

communicationsdirector Stefano De

Martino saidon Monday.

In theSerie A sea-

son that endedearly August,Immobile scored36 goals to match

Gonzalo Higuain’sItalian leaguerecord. AP

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Mahendra Singh Dhonishould be batting at num-

ber three for Chennai SuperKings now that Suresh Rainahas pulled out of the IPL, feelsformer India opener GautamGambhir.

Gambhir thinks that Dhoni,who has been away from thegame for over a year, should tryand play as many balls possible.

“It will be a good opportu-nity for MS Dhoni to come andbat at No 3,” Gambhir said onStar Sports’ show CricketConnected.

“And he has been away

from the game for the last oneyear, so he would end up gettinga lot more balls to face and thenhe can actually play the anchorinnings as well which hehas been doing for Indiafor the last couple ofyears,” the two-time IPL-winning skipper said.

Gambhir saidthat Dhoni cancome at onedown as thereare batsmenwho can play thefinishing game.

“So, MSDhoni at No3 and then

they have got depth with KedarJadhav, Dwayne Bravo, SamCurran, all those guys they cancome in.

“So, I think it is going to bea great opportunity for

someone like MSDhoni and I amsure he is goingto relish that.Also, SureshRaina not beingthere, you wantto have some

experienced play-er batting at No 3,

so it could beMS Dhoni

now,” he added.

1� ���� ������ ������������ ���������2��� � �����Seasoned batsman Suresh

Raina will realise what he ismissing out on by skipping theIndian Premier League and hisabsence won’t have an impacton the Chennai Super Kings,team owner N Srinivasan hassaid.

In an interview withOutlook magazine, Srinivasanshared his views on Raina’ssudden decision to leave theCSK team and head back toIndia.

The 75-year-old said thatCSK were confident of their

chances in the 13th edition ofthe IPL despite the departureof their highest run-getter.

“The season has not begunyet and Raina will certainlyrealise what he is missing andcertainly all the money he isgoing to lose,” Srinivasan, a for-mer BCCI and InternationalCricket Council chief, wasquoted as saying.

CSK CEO KasiViswanathan had confirmedon Saturday that Raina had leftthe team and flown back toIndia due to “personal reasons”.

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